Ketchup and Mustard
by Thunderscourge
Summary: The villain known as "Mustard" once aspired to become a part of U.A. like many others, only to learn the hard way that some Quirks can't even pass the entrance exam. While there he befriends a foreign student by the name of Pony, whose poor Japanese leads her to believe he named himself after the food condiment. A look into how Mustard came to join the League of Villains.
1. Ketchup and Mustard

**Ketchup and Mustard**

* * *

_Click._

Hiroto had been given an odd look by many at the entrance examination of Japan's top Hero academy when he arrived with a backpack far larger than one would expect of someone his size, and the stares and whispers only increased when Hiroto altered it following the entrance exam's explanation by the Hero and teacher Present Mic. What had before been a large yet unassuming backpack had its external fabric slid off, revealing two large canisters with tubes extending from their form to be attached to a mask which had been contained within the bag too.

Hiroto found himself smiling beneath his mask, having discarded the initial backpack by his side and connected all the pieces of his cobbled-together Support Gear.

_Okay, that should last me the entire test period. I may not be able to use my Quirk's gases to knock out other contestants, but I'm sure whatever fake Villains there are will stand no chance._

His Quirk was indeed a powerful one, though not without its drawbacks. Born to a father with control over a poisonous substance he could secrete from his body and a mother with minor control over the air around her, Hiroto could in turn exude poison from his own body and spread it throughout the area around him.

While the initial effects of the poison were to render someone unconscious, it was said by Hiroto's doctors that extended periods of exposure could kill even grown adults...the reason why Hiroto wore his mask, as while his father was immune to his own poisons _Hiroto_ was not. Possessing far more utility and reach thanks to the mixture of his parent's quirks, his own had sacrificed pieces of each of them it seemed. The end result was that Hiroto had begun to dabble in his own form of Support technology with what few resources he had available to him, as accidentally killing himself if his Quirk got out of hand was not something the young teenager wished to do.

So prepared was Hiroto that he even had a spare gas-mask to replace it in case the first was damaged by some means, for not only would it be potentially dangerous to be without fresh air, it would be awfully embarrassing to be taken out by his own Quirk during the entrance exam. If the point was to succeed with his skills and personal merit, why not allow forward thinking to be one of them?

U.A. was not going to take just anyone and while they had not mentioned that they would grant points beyond what one received for defeating faux-villains, Hiroto could not discount the fact that they might choose someone with greater overall capabilities than just their combat prowess. Truth be told, he was somewhat hoping as much, as he was not exactly 'strong' nor trained in actual fighting...every 'fight' he had gotten into with children his age was one where he was hopelessly beaten down because to use his Quirk would be to break the law, even if it would instantly win him the encounter.

His teachers always did seem to like those students who had mistreated him more after all, and he was not going to leave himself at their mercy. It didn't matter if he had learned how to fire a gun at a young age thanks to his father, a police officer who had chosen the career path when his aspirations of being a Hero didn't pan out, or that his Quirk could knock out his entire school, he was helpless against their bureaucracy and the fists of his peers.

Despite this it was with pride that Hiroto stood tall _(or rather, as tall as his fairly average stature could allow)_ and turned to face the gate of the examination center he was at: he was confident in the strength of his poison gas, and he was looking forward to using it on those faux-villains spoken of by that annoying 'school DJ'.

_As if School DJ was really a title or position at a school as prestigious as U.A., right?_

U.A. was where one attended if they wanted to be taken seriously in the Hero world, and it was almost a pre-requisite if one did not want to be relegated to the sidelines as some Hero's sidekick for years upon years...or so its reputation said in Hiroto's own middle-school. He wanted to get in...no, _needed_ to get in for insecure and pained reasons that were buried beneath layers of pride and arrogance born of the knowledge that he _was_ one of the strongest kids his age thanks to his Quirk.

Now was the time he could show it.

In any case, DJ probably was shorthand for 'Dumb Jock', or so Hiroto liked to think. The jocks at his own school mocked him for his scrawny build and overall weakness in sports, but that was only because they were jealous of his quirk...again, so Hiroto liked to think. He barely spoke with them, so he had no real way of knowing at the end of the day, but as the top student in his class he liked to pride himself on his intelligence even if he was just a big fish in a small pond.

So amused by his own joke at Present Mic's expense was Hiroto that he did not notice the approach of another applicant: when they tapped his shoulder the flaxen-haired boy felt his entire body cringe at the sensation even as it whipped around to face whomever it was.

_Huh? Who..._

Hiroto found himself face-to-face with another of a small stature, though he froze when he realized that the one who tried getting his attention was a _girl_. Not just that, but a girl wearing clothes completely foreign to Hiroto...none of the Japanese kids he knew would dress in such a manner, so combined with her different looks he presumed that she too was foreign even if it didn't quite explain where she hailed from. What stood out more than her clothing was the fact that she possessed what seemed to be a set of equine legs like a horse with a matching short-cropped equine tail, while atop her head was a pair of horns that he couldn't quite place...were they from a goat or some kind of bovine creature?

As smart as he liked to pride himself as being, Hiroto was left awe-struck by his circumstances and so couldn't even figure out quite what he was looking at even as the girl in question remained there.

Just what was a _girl_ doing approaching him? Girls never did that...in fact, _guys_ never did that either if it wasn't to mock or hurt him, but it was even weirder for it to be a girl! Some other student had gotten flustered when everyone was entering the auditorium earlier and some girl talked to him, and now Hiroto found himself in the same shoes as the boy he had wanted to laugh at before.

It felt like years in his confused mind, but in reality only a moment had passed before the girl spoke.

"How meet nice you. Am Pony Tsunotori."

...well, that did not help Hiroto much in determining what was happening, and so beneath his gas-mask he found himself blushing of all things out of sheer embarrassment. He couldn't after all even _remember_ the last time he spoke to a girl who wasn't a member of his family...

Still, despite his confusion and her wholly unhelpful explanation, Hiroto found himself able to just barely stammer out a response.

"W-what?"

As if she too had something to be embarrassed about, this "Pony" _(what an awfully fitting name given her appearance)_ blushed as well and averted her large eyes to the ground.

"I'm sorry, le-arning language. From America, but here for exam-test-entrance."

Confirming his previous idea of her being from elsewhere, Hiroto nodded along and laughed, sort of piecing together things while gaining back some of his composure...after all, if she was from another country and didn't know the language then this applicant was less likely to judge him over his own issues. After all, they were going to be taking a test in a language they were unfamiliar with, so they surely understood what it meant to have handicaps right and were trying regardless?

"Oh, a foreign student. I'm impressed by your confidence."

Now Pony was the one seemingly confused, making eye contact again _(or rather looking into where Hiroto's mask had its eyes, as beneath it his eyes averted from embarrassment the moment she looked at him directly)_ and inquiring about what he meant.

"Confidence?"

It took some effort, but Hiroto tried his best to appear confident in spite of his unease over speaking to a girl reaching its peak: why did it have to be a _cute_ girl?

"You are facing off against students who are more comfortable with the instructions, setting, and other such things, right? Things are harder for you than a typical candidate."

His explanation may have made some in Pony's place nervous, but instead she placed her hands on her hips haughtily and broke out in a huge grin as she began to speak in genuine confidence well beyond the level Hiroto was faking now.

"I want be like All Might! Pony will take on any challenge to be hero like him!"

_All Might..._

Hiroto had seen the clips of the world's most famous Hero, and he had never quite understood the appeal...that clip of his arrival on the Superhero scene saying "I am here!" or whatever it was he said hadn't quite struck Hiroto in the way it perhaps did other children. It seemed to superficial, and having never quite met someone like All Might he was prone to believe it was all just some kind of act. What's more, All Might's Quirk was so boring...power beyond anyone else's, that was all. While it meant he would always win a fight, how could anything so _vanilla_ be appealing to watch more than once or twice?

"I can't say I'm much of a fan of All Might. Power like his doesn't take much thought, and he's so mainstream…I'd rather the top hero be someone who uses some tactics in his battles beyond 'punch, punch, punch'. Why, he doesn't even kick!"

Given that Pony was so enthusiastic about All Might and was nodding her head along to his mild criticism of him it gave Hiroto the sense that the girl did not actually understand what he was saying. It would make sense, since he spoke at a faster pace than before perhaps as a defensive mechanism to get it all out before being interrupted by All Might's fan, but she just smiled along the whole time and did not seem to register his negative intent.

"...you have no idea what I just said, did you?"

Pony pumped a fist up in the air while adopting a more sheepish grin to replace her previous smile.

"Nope, but I heard 'punch, punch, punch' and 'All Might'!"

Perhaps it was for the best...Hiroto had felt the need to give his own opinion on the matter such was his personal ego, but it was not really needed he realizes since he wasn't going to change her mind...especially not when she was having trouble even understanding what it was he was saying.

Upon thinking of it more, it maybe made sense that this girl liked All Might as a Hero: he was from America, right? 'Detroit Smash' and his other techniques would seem to imply that, as did his uniform, but Hiroto had never really bothered to look into it. He just wasn't as awe-inspired by the world's top hero as so many others were his age, and he liked to think it was because he was more mature...whether that was the case or not was unknown even to him beneath his pride.

"I thought as much…"

Sighing, Hiroto realized that the girl was still there and talking to him despite the obvious language barrier between them...she was smiling, seemed interested in talking to him for some reason, and had been the one to approach (and surprise) him so part of him was dying from curiosity about just why that all was.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why did you come over here? Were you curious about my powers?" he asked, slightly posturing to try and frame whatever was going on in a positive way. He just had to hope that the answer was yes.

Pony's instant nod in reaction actually flattered his ego, though Hiroto would be even more surprised by the words which followed.

"Pony watch much anime, and you've got cool Jin-Roh mask! You make poison gas or something but can't breathe it, right?"

This foreign girl watched enough anime to know the exact one he modeled his mask after: he knew some kids his age who would sneer at foreigners mass-consuming their media, but as a secret fan of American films _(which he had to view with subtitles to in any way understand)_ Hiroto could not cast judgment.

In fact, for the first time since he could remember Hiroto was enjoying talking to someone his age: he had met his American mirror it seemed, and beneath his general embarrassment over conversing with someone of the opposite sex he actually felt a bit more at-ease now.

_I wonder if she's seen The Terminator..._

Casting aside his cinema curiosity, Hiroto realized also that despite her broken speech he was by no means dealing with some moron: she figured out his quirk _and _his weakness, so while neither thing was perhaps needing Sherlock Holmes to solve together it did leave him with a favorable impression of her. How many other students here would have been able to guess both right away only moments after having seen him? Some of the more feeble-minded may have even thought his mask was just for show, or that he needed the tanks to breathe normally thanks to some other issue...but Pony seemed to have picked right up on it all.

Not to be out-done, Hiroto glanced over Pony to see if he too could figure out what his compatriot's powers were...and found himself drawing a bit of a blank. She was dressed in seemingly casual clothing rather than the Quirk-hinting outfit he wore above his normal school uniform, and so he was left just with the fact that her eyes were a bit bigger than he remembered American eyes being from his watching their movies, her equine legs and tail, and then the horns atop her head.

Since she was not some fully mutant horse with horse legs for arms and thus always being on all four legs or something, Hiroto guessed that she just happened to look like what her parents named her...a pony. It might grant her some special properties not possessed by an average Human, but such mundane utilities tended to not be Quirks of any serious consideration. If she was applying to UA there had to be more than that, and so he doubted it was her eyes being a bit larger than usual either...meaning that all there was left for him to go off-of visually was the large set of horns sitting atop her head.

Having reached his conclusion and recovered from his delighted shock at her own intuition, Hiroto finally responded after a moment of awed silence, "I…why yes, yes I can. If I had to guess your Quirk has to do with those horns atop your head, right?"

He gestured to her head, prompting the horse-girl to smile and nod as he too guessed her Quirk right away. With her fingers pointing to her horns, Pony spoke back.

"Yup! I shoot my horns and grow new!"

To fully return the favor now that his hypothesis was proven correct Hiroto used his knowledge of Quirks in general to next guess what was the weakness to hers: Quirks were physical qualities one possessed like any other, and so ones that tended to create something tended to require something else to properly function like the body needs food to work. In this case Hiroto remembered something from a Health class and used it to apply to his overall idea.

"I'd ask for a demonstration, but you probably have a limit on how many times you can do it right? It must take a lot of Keratin to properly grow all those horns."

Despite having made the same kind of insightful comment herself Pony seemed awed by Hiroto doing so too, "Uh-huh. I'm working on endurance though, but need eat Keratin as say. I ate burger for breakfast."

_Burger for breakfast, huh? How American...but I suppose I eat plenty of burgers and fries myself, so I can hardly judge._

As Hiroto contemplated the fact that unlike most of his peers he was trying to find ways to _not_ look down upon Pony, she spoke up again out of some form of curiosity of her own.

"Why do you want hero course?"

Why did Hiroto want to attend U.A.? It wasn't anything grandiose or even noble, just the simple desire to prove to others that he wasn't worthless. Years of being unable to even use his Quirk in public to the point many thought him to actually be Quirkless, countless bullies talking down to him and teaching him to talk down in return, and high expectations placed on him his entire life by members of his family have left him embittered around the subjects of respect, pride, and self-worth.

U.A. was a place where Hiroto could truly prove himself, somewhere his Quirk would be cultivated and grown to its full potential, and where once he appeared in their competitions the entire world would see what he was made of.

After all, it didn't matter how good one's Quirk was...in the end everyone was still Human, and with that the weaknesses inherent to the species. Hiroto knew his Quirk was perhaps one of the luckiest in the world, beyond maybe eighty or ninety percent of others in terms of raw power if one measured it by raw potential, but he knew well just how much a fist to the face hurt or a kick while he was down. His Quirk couldn't save him in such instances, and so Hiroto had to watch as others with weaker Quirks and lesser intellect paraded themselves around as if they were better than him. They could hurt him, but if he fought back it could very well kill them so it was Hiroto who held back.

He had experienced the cutting words of cruel classmates who looked down on him for his scrawny build and size, lived through the pain of isolation born of being an outcast...and so a school that would bring respect and positive attention was all a young teenager trying to find a way to salve his emotional wounds could hope for. His own middle-school was seen as the lesser of the two where he was growing up, so he was well aware of how others perceived the various merits of schools and thus those who attended them.

If seeing his school uniform made others sneer since it was a 'bad' school he was forced to attend thanks to his circumstances, then the opposite would be true if he managed to attend a prestigious one like U.A. all thanks to his power, right?

With hopeful pride and ambition welling within his chest Hiroto opened up to this aspiring foreign student of U.A. in a way he had not even discussed with his own parents, "Heroes get all the attention, and as far as schools go this is the top one. Any student who goes to U.A. is bound to be renowned for their talent! Other schools barely even get any attention except when they try to steal some of U.A.'s spotlight, only to fail time and time again."

That Hiroto desired positive attention was not lost on Pony, who realized in some part that maybe the boy she was talking to wasn't used to receiving it. After all, how many applicants to a _Hero_ school were doing it for personal respect rather than out of civic duty or some fascination with the flashy Hero lifestyle one witnessed every day? Pony wasn't sure about everyone's reasoning, but she certainly thought the gas-mask wearing boy was a bit different.

Being different wasn't the worst thing in the world though, right? She was different too, being one of the few foreign students even present among those applying, so she supposed they were two peas in a pod: perhaps emphasizing this fact was that each of them was standing away from the main group of applicants.

There was a giant gate leading to the pseudo-city testing ground that remained closed as of yet, and while most had crowded up around it the two of them had lingered back. Hiroto had wanted space to set up his gas mask and so separated himself, while Pony hadn't felt comfortable around so many people she couldn't quite talk to in a normal way...making it all the easier to spot someone putting on a mask that reminded her of one of her favorite anime movies. Anime was her favorite thing and the pastime that dominated much of her free time, so seeing something out of one had been amazing to her.

Some other students had already joked about her lack of language skills, but despite her difficulties even in this conversation she didn't really feel 'judged'. In that regard, Pony found herself hoping that she could pass today's examination right alongside this odd boy, as that would mean she could have a classmate she did not have to worry about picking on her. Some girl with big hands had been nice too, but Pony had lost track of her and did not catch her name so had decided to just dub her 'Lana' _(after a cartoon character with big hands Pony had seen)_ until she could properly learn her name.

Come to think of it, Pony realized she had been asking things _other_ than this boy's name too...she had given her own but he had not just replied with his, so she wondered if she would have to be more direct. With how many students attended U.A. she didn't want to possibly lose track of a possible friend just thanks to not having asked his name.

Before she can ask Hiroto about his name he had a question of his own, again mirroring her questions with ones of his own, "Why do you want to attend U.A.? Is it because of its prestige? As a foreign student you could have come to visit any school after all, so why U.A.?"

Pony found herself smiling again as she remembered the very cause behind her presence there, and so she took a moment to try and speak 'properly' so as to not confuse her speaking companion about her motives since they weren't all that complex either.

"Well, All Might went here so I want to too!"

Hiroto paused for a moment, as if to let her continue on...only to realize she had given her complete reasoning already and that he was expected to say something.

With a nervous chuckle he responded while rubbing the back of his helmet, "You're…awfully straightforward, aren't you?"

Unlike Pony, who had just taken the effort to try and speak in not-ambiguous terms, Hiroto had used a word _(straightforward)_ that due to the language barrier could be interpreted..._differently._

Huffing as she placed her hands on her hips, Pony let Hiroto know in no uncertain terms that she did not agree with his assessment of her...or at least what she _thought_ he said.

"I'm not easy!"

Realizing his mistake immediately, Hiroto's eyes widened beneath his gas mask and he quickly went about trying to prevent this girl from slapping him.

"Oh no, not 'easy', I meant 'straightforward', 'forthright', 'honest', honest!"

Even with his face covered Hiroto gave off enough body language to back up his words that Pony immediately forgave him, realizing that her own misunderstanding was at fault instead of him.

"I'm sorry. Some words still confuse me, but I learning fast," Pony bowed her head, actually embarrassed and blushing now that she had for a moment thought about ramming the boy she had started to think of as a friend with her horns for daring to say something mean about her.

While prideful of his own intelligence thanks to being the top student at his own school, Hiroto was willing to acknowledge when others were smart as well: in fact he preferred it since he often times did not feel like he could properly relate to kids his age who could not even _spell_ 'acknowledge'. As such Pony being able to presumably speak her own native language _and_ speak some of his own, even if her listening comprehension in it required some work, was worthy of respect in his view...he thought himself smart and knew one dictionary, while she knew about one and a half and was working on making it two.

"You certainly know more of this language than I know of yours, so I can't say I fault you. Still, you should be careful since plenty of words have secondary meanings."

_Maybe if we both pass I could learn English from her...I hate having to read things when I could be watching movies, so if I could understand the originals I won't have to have my eyes glued to the bottom of the screen when I watch Terminator 2 and Robocop...I wonder if she likes Dubs or Subs? Guess I could help her with Japanese if we have class together..._

Realizing that he was getting ahead of himself, Hiroto quelled such thoughts and tried to return some of his former calm confidence in place of this tingling excitement: he had to focus if he was going to succeed, and he could think about how to improve his movie-watching hobby later. What mattered right now was getting into U.A. so he could learn under teachers like Midnight, one of the few Heroes which Hiroto could admit to looking up to given the similarity of their quirks.

"Forgot ask, but what's your name?"

Pony's blunt question shook Hiroto out of his thinking of the Heroin Midnight, who he was fascinated by thanks to her powers even if other boys his age were fascinated by just about everything not to do with her powers.

"Oh right, my name…"

He was wholly unused to actually giving his name out, actually. The only time he would hear the word 'Hiroto' was when uncaring teachers would do attendance, the disappointment of his parents, or from classmates mocking it and calling him stupid things like 'Wannabe Hero-to', 'Gassy Hiro', and other such unimaginative names...in fact he had come to in some ways resent hearing his name, so he didn't tend to give it to others at all.

Despite this Hiroto was tempted to maybe tell Pony, since it was not like she would mock him right?

Unfortunately years of social unease and shaming had left him too untrusting to just readily give it out, especially since he despised not only his name but his family name as well, and so he was tempted to just give her a Hero-name instead: one of his choosing that was far more intelligent and creative than anything those idiots who teased him could come up with.

Anything including the word 'gas' was disqualified immediately, as he wanted respect and not to be mocked as some Hero who just passes wind...but therein lay the problem: a lot of his Quirk really just _was_ the gas he could emit, so what could he name himself that didn't include gas but commanded respect?

That was when a history book came to mind which he had read front to cover instead of ignoring large swathes of it like the school curriculum did.

"You can call me 'Mustard'."

A terrifying chemical weapon known as 'Mustard Gas' had been used in a war years ago, and while he dropped the 'gas' part he was content with what was left: a gas that could kill you by opening blisters in your lungs and throat was nothing to laugh at.

...

So why was Pony looking like she was about to giggle?

"Why food?" the girl asked him, at which point 'Mustard' realized his mistake.

"No, not mustard the food, mustard as in 'mustard gas'. I don't like giving my name out to strangers, so I thought of something related to my powers," he tried to rationalize, not wanting to admit to his mistake and instead taking ownership of the chosen name instead, "I read a lot of history books, so I figured it was a fitting name."

In a display of friendliness Pony poked Mustard's school uniform he was wearing and finally giggled, though it was obvious she was restraining herself from laughing more so as to spare his feelings.

"Pony can't eat French fries with you though."

She still didn't quite get it, and Mustard realized that Pony likely had no real idea what mustard gas was..._he_ knew at his age thanks to his reading, but he would have thought a nation far larger and with more resources like America would have been able to teach Pony about it without her needing to do as Mustard did and read outside of the curriculum.

"Those American school systems aren't working out for you, are they?"

Recovering from her near laughing fit, Pony flexed her right arm and showed it off proudly to Mustard.

"I do work out at my schools, yes! Pony is strong!"

While not large, it was incredibly firm and toned, making Mustard wonder if perhaps this 'Pony' possessed the strength of one as a more minor aspect to her Quirk.

Something about her speaking ability stood out to Mustard though as she completely misunderstood what he was saying once again.

"Why do you say your name so often? Is it one of the only words you know?"

Pride in her physical strength was replaced by a sudden meekness as Pony again thought about her language abilities, "Maybe…" she said, shifting in place a bit while her eyes once more dropped to the ground beneath them, "I sometimes forget how to refer to myself, but I know my name, so Pony uses that."

"It's fine, I was just curious: I don't even know how to say Mustard in English, so you should be proud you can at least say your name in my language."

This seemed to perk Pony up a bit, exciting the girl as she realized once again that Mustard did not appear to care that she was poor at speaking and understanding Japanese at the present moment. She was certain she would pick it up more as she went along, but she was quite new to actually _using_ Japanese so she was trying quite hard to learn.

Since she did not have a verbal response to him Mustard continued, "How about this: do you have a Hero name I can call you by too? Here in Japan it is considered impolite to call someone by their first name unless you know them really well, and I may be even able to help teach you another word that isn't you saying your own name."

The prospect of making her own moniker certainly interested Pony, though like Mustard she had not really put any thought into it before: unlike Mustard however she wasn't ready to come up with one on the spot and accidentally give herself a semi-embarrassing name like a food.

Trusting Mustard's command of the Japanese language much more, Pony figured it would be better if he left such a decision to him: he could come up with a better name, and if she didn't like it she could always come up with one of her own later on.

Confident in this plan Pony smiled at Mustard again and revealed it.

"You came up with a good name. What do you think I should be?"

The flaw in the plan was that while it sounded fine on paper, Mustard knew as much about Pony as she did his language: as such he was even less prepared for coming up with a name on the spot for her as he was for himself. Given that he realized near instantly he was going to fail at anything 'clever', so he just thought about her basic characteristics and decided to go from there: girl who has cow/bull horns on her head, a human-ish body crossed with equine features, hailing from America, and the ability to launch the previously mentioned horns which requires her to eat foods high in Keratin such as red meat like burgers...

Since he was fairly sure even in America calling a girl a cow was mean, even if they had their Cowboys in their Westerns, Mustard decided to focus on the things _not_ related to her head's horns: that she was American and ate burgers...

That was when brilliance _(or so he liked to believe)_ struck and Mustard came upon the temporary Hero name he would grant Pony to use with him.

"I'd have to know more about your powers to give you a proper moniker to go by, but for now how about I call you 'Ketchup'?"

Pony might not know a great deal of Japanese, but she _was_ quite sure what that word meant and her eyes widened as she realized what she just signed herself up for.

"Ketchup?"

Mustard nodded, pleased with his choice, "Yeah, I hear Americans use it on burgers, and the fact you know that word tells me you probably have been using it to order your food here."

While it was perhaps a silly name, Pony was quite fine with it after the initial processing of the fact that she was going to be called 'Ketchup' for awhile now. To shot her thanks Pony moved forward to hug her new friend of sorts, remarking about how he chose something that was related to his own moniker, "Mustard and Ketchup! You're funny!"

The sudden physical touch again made Mustard cringe, freezing him in place as the brief gesture ended and he was left to follow up from her noticing that the names had a connection...one he had not actually intended for when he first got the idea but was fully willing to take credit for, "Hehe, yeah, I figured that since you were thinking about the food that you might like a similar name."

"So until polite to call me Pony I am Ketchup?" Pony asked, retaking her spot a couple feet from him to give the blushing boy some proper space: she had no idea just how much his cheeks resembled her Hero-name's substance thanks to his gas mask.

"Yeah, what do you think? I'm pretty clever if I do say so myself, Ketchup," Mustard tried to calm himself down by resorting to his natural pride that had survived in spite of, or perhaps because of, his circumstances.

Pony saluted him playfully in response, her voice chipper, "Aye-aye Colonel Mustard in the living room with the gas mask!"

_Colonel Mustard? What even is that? Is it because I have a mask?_

"That's a reference I don't get, isn't it?"

Pony had to think a moment about how to properly respond, but eventually managed to do so.

"You need a…'Clue'?"

"Wait, isn't that a board game?"

"Yeah! Haven't you played it?"

"No…"

Mustard had not played many board games in his life outside of Chess and Checkers...the ones which basically only required two players, since he could not amass groups of friends or family to come play with him.

Before Pony could respond to his dour admission one of U.A.'s staff announced to everyone that the test just started, and by the time either Mustard or Pony could turn to face the faux-city its gate was indeed open: it was time to show everyone what they were made of.

Looking to Mustard again, Pony began to give her goodbyes since she doubted honestly that he could keep up with her running pace, "Seems like we're starting! Good luck, Mustard!"

Already trying to figure out how he wanted to approach this test now that the gates were down, Mustard nodded back to her without saying much, "You too, Ketchup."

First he would have to pack up his things, since he had been interrupted briefly by Pony and thus did not have his bag and second gas-mask in order...

This thought made Mustard actually grab the object in question and rush over to Pony as she began to get down on all fours, revealing herself capable of running like a horse with all the speed that offered: he did not have a complete set of his Support gear to grant her, but a mask alone could keep her safe from brief exposure to his gases. Mustard might be wary about accidentally hitting his fellow applicants, but he would only actually feel bad if this girl were to accidentally stumble into some of his Quirk's gases. The rest only mattered so long as they got in his way and prohibited his usage of his Quirk...they were told not to harm one another, but if some idiot walked into his quite visible purple poison fumes would that even be his fault?

"Hey, before you go, I have a spare mask if you want. I don't really care if I knock others out by accident, but I'd feel bad about beating you right from the start."

Realizing the gesture's significance Pony went ahead with putting it on, even if the others were all already racing into the mock city to engage the fake villains present there, "Thank you! Much thanks!"

While she pulled the mask over her face Mustard felt odd, a discomfort many were already used to gripping his chest as he realized that he actually _cared_ for a peer...and thus he set about quashing the odd sensation so he could properly focus.

"This is a competition though, so don't think I'll be going too easy on you."

Pony didn't seem to care that he was downplaying the act of kindness, and instead prepared herself again to charge forward.

"Now I'mma deck those robots!"

Mustard froze as he was left behind in the dust.

"Wait…"

_Robots…_

The fake villains weren't instructors playing the part or hired extras like that organization that gets hired to act as rescue targets for classes...they were _machines_ instead?

It was in this moment of realization that Mustard's feelings of calm and confidence were replaced instead with a sudden gripping fear and anxiety about the test. He had not quite realized that the images on the screen earlier were wholly representative of what he was going to face, but Pony's words and looking ahead into the city now where he could _see_ giant robots made it all click for him.

_What...what am I going to do?_

Who's heard of someone poisoning a _robot_ after all?

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below if you have any! I have a lot I am still brainstorming about the story, so your thoughts are most appreciated.**


	2. The Entrance Exam

**Chapter Two: ****The Entrance Exam****  
**

* * *

_"Wait here and rest, Hiroto. Your parents will be here soon."_

_The day had begun like any other for the boy not even five years old yet, yet how it ended was beyond what he could have imagined. While his classmates continued to discover their own Quirks, Hiroto had been content off in his own little world, reading at a time when most of the children his age scoffed at such an activity. They wanted to play "Heroes and Villains", and he wanted to read one of the books from his father's library, not that much of it made sense to him._

_It did make him an easy target though as the only kid who sat away from the others to concentrate on the hard words contained within the random book he had brought with him that day. As was common in a class where some students have powerful Quirks and others do not, a bullying hierarchy formed when those with the power decided they were special and could do as they pleased._

_Hiroto himself barely could recall what happened when he was surrounded by a few boys his age who wanted to pick on him, as for some reason he had fallen unconscious...but what he _

_**could**__remember was the fact that they had started panicking when the air around Hiroto turned purple and began to swirl around after they burned his father's book with some weak fire Quirk._

_Before he passed out, Hiroto had enjoyed seeing the other boys run away after one of them collapsed down on the ground...only for those running to fall down soon after._

_They were mean to him, so he was mean back...even if he couldn't control his newly discovered Quirk. At least it was not active now, or his Nurse leaving to tend to some other children hurt throughout the day may prove dangerous to Hiroto's own health. He passed out instantly after inhaling the purple gas he could feel emitting from his body, and it wasn't until the Nurse and Principal yelled at him for 'endangering the lives of others' that he even realized maybe he did something wrong._

_Maybe._

_"Every member of the heist has been incapacitated and brought into police custody!"_

_There was a television in the office he was left in after being looked over by the school's medical staff, and on it was some bank heist that had been playing in the background while Hiroto had tests done on him. Now that he was alone in the room he was able to pay more attention to it, his young mind bored because he was supposed to stay and he did not have anything to do other than watch what the Nurse had been viewing prior to his arrival._

_Walking out of the bank where this all was taking place was a raven haired woman with a white and black costume, but what had drawn Hiroto's attention was not just the noise of the television but rather the sight of this person: she was surrounded by a purple mist almost the same as his own._

_Hiroto's father might be a police officer, but his Quirk was not powerful enough to be a Pro-Hero...this woman though had just beaten criminals multiple times her size with a single whiff of her Quirk, and to the young Hiroto that was amazing._

_"Isn't that the Pro-Hero who caused legislation to be formed a few years back?" _

_"She disappeared from the news for awhile following the regulations, but now she's making quite the comeback!"_

_Hiroto had ignored the news reporters commentating at the time, but later viewings of the broadcast online would fill in their words for him where they previously did not exist. As a young child the only thing he could care about was that, unlike him, this Hero got to use her Quirk against bad people and she was being cheered on...the center of attention, rather than punished and yelled at for doing something wrong._

_Striking a pose and emitting a beam of pride with her expression, the woman tossed the last criminal she apprehended to the nearby police, "That's right, boys: the name's Midnight, the R-rated Hero. Even if some Puritans want to tell me how to dress I can still use what I've got to see to it that justice is served. Using everything at your disposal to succeed is just part of being a Hero, is it not?"_

_"Amazing! With the gas that comes from her skin she knocked out all of them at once, even those who had defeated some local Pro-Heroes with their powerful Quirks!"_

_Young Hiroto did not really understand why she stuck her chest out or get the sultry tone used, but seeing the collapsed bodies of numerous criminals who had Quirks that granted them super strength or even super speed wowed him. If someone like her was able to use their powers in such a way, to get applauded and receive screams of love and adulation, then could he?_

_He was a quiet boy admittedly, but he had a burning desire for attention that belied his theft of books from his family's own library...in fact, the two things were intrinsically linked._

_"Hiroto, enough of that. It's time to go."_

_The young boy had become so engrossed in watching a replay of the heist's dismantling by the Pro-Hero Midnight that he had not even noticed that his father arrived. The man was still in uniform from his day of patrol, a dour expression upon his face which inspired Hiroto to not question him and instead just meekly do as he was told._

_"Okay Dad..."_

_He followed his father to their family's car, but before he left the Nurse's office he glanced over at the television one last time...at the sight of someone with a Quirk so powerful that literal superhuman strength meant nothing in the face of it._

_Midnight was just a Human like any other, but it was her Quirk that truly made her special...and that gave Hiroto hope that maybe when everyone calmed down he too could get that kind of attention._

_"You sent three boys to the hospital and your teachers nearly harmed as well. If that gas hadn't been surrounding you like a tornado you'd have inhaled even more of it and ended up just like them," his father said to him as they drove away from the school, not even facing Hiroto._

_It was something Hiroto would get used to in the years to come, but which was wholly new to him then: feeling like he was somehow to blame for his Quirk. That using it to defend himself was wrong, even when others would use their own to harm him over petty matters._

_Seeing Midnight had made him proud of his newfound power rather than scared of it as he may have been, especially given his lack of immunity to his own Quirk. It made him feel pride, even if he did not yet know the word, and he now could understand why those other children all thought they were special after first using their Quirks._

_"My Quirk's just like yours, Dad...isn't it strong?"_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_"Dad?"_

* * *

Everyone had left Mustard behind in the dust when the entrance exam began, even the school teacher officiating this site...if he had not already grown up familiar with her Mustard would not have recognized Midnight from afar, but a part of him became resolute when he saw her up ahead in the pseudo-city.

Years of being told that his powers were those of a villain, of being shamed for the sheer destructive power they possessed, had left Mustard clinging to one of the few idols he could look up to with a power like his own.

He was not one of the 'Midnight Boys', those fans who worshipped Midnight to the point of obsession, but she _was_ a Pro-Hero he could respect since she was so unabashed about herself. Unlike Mustard himself, who had trouble asserting himself amongst his peers for the longest time, Midnight would show the world everything she had and used her Quirk to defeat any foe who stood in her way be it beasts the size of a house or common criminals on the run.

It was something to strive towards, a status in the community which would allow Mustard to be recognized like he felt he deserved, and a chance to show up everyone who had ever laughed at him.

This was his moment to take a step forward and become a Pro-Hero, to be accepted to a school that would grant him the prestige and respect he sought, and so whether he was facing robots or not Mustard still would give it his all. After all, maybe the machines would be programmed to collapse when they sensed poison in the air around them? He would not put it past U.A. to be so prepared.

A brief glance at the documentation provided them revealed that there were four types of faux-villains, just like Present Mic had explained prior: the one-point machines were known as 'Victory' class, two-point machines were known as 'Venator' class, three-point called 'Imperial', and the obstacle machines worth no points were known as the 'Executor' class.

Classes tended to be about twenty students at U.A., with two Hero classes in total, meaning that only forty students would be able to pass on...given the abysmal rate of acceptance at U.A. this was an indication of the school's integrity in Mustard's eyes as they could easily expand their classes yet they still choose to only accept the most elite students and focus all their resources on their growth.

Some cops who worked with Mustard's father had commented that their associate's child was more powerful than some Pro-Heroes, and they would not be wrong: it was with great pride that Mustard wielded his power that could do as Midnight did and wipe out almost anyone who came against it in a single moment. Some Pro-Heroes could maybe cast a little water, or summon a gust of wind, but the power to wipe out all threats on a city block in an instant? That was power worthy of U.A., or so Mustard believed.

Ahead of him Mustard saw Pony charge straight into a Victory-class machine with her horns, the tips of which penetrated the point of its body where the green machine had its tire meet its abdomen. In a display of raw might, the horns punctured the metal and with her momentum Pony whipped it to the side, striking a Venator-class machine and causing both to break apart thanks to some minor damage caused to the second robot by another participant.

_Pony...__**Ketchup**__ is doing well already, even though she has to get in close...she must not have a great deal of control over her Quirk yet, or she could eliminate them all at range while never being in danger of retaliation._

Fear still lingered in Mustard's mind as he watched 'Ketchup' perform so well, a part of him knowing that it was entirely possible that his Quirk would have no effect on these foes that swarmed the city...but resolve still found its way through thanks to the sight of his favorite Pro-Hero Midnight, a glimpse at what the cute but friendly equine girl could do, and also his own natural pride all reminding him why he was here.

If Pony could show others her talent, so would—

It was at that precise moment that Mustard found himself being bashed through the wall of the very first building he was going to pass in the city, a half-defeated Victory-class having decided to tackle the nearest target available to it. Given that he had been so caught up in his thoughts and contemplating how he was going to utilize his powers Mustard had not even noticed its movement, especially given that his mask obscured some of his vision.

With his Quirk on his ability to feel others moving within his toxic miasma would grant him 360° vision, but since other participants were still in the area Mustard had refrained from letting loose yet...after all, with Midnight so close he would be in severe trouble should every other applicant just fall unconscious.

His reward for being slow to move and act was the tingling pain of a wall's debris having fallen on him after he first had his breath taken away while a building sort of collapsed down, and Mustard was cursing himself for focusing more on others than himself. He was doubly cursing how he was thinking that Pony was cute and thus allowed himself a foolish distraction he otherwise would have ignored, but he could not ignore that he liked talking to her...it was the first real social contact he had in a long time.

That other test-goers were elsewhere being similarly punished for looking at _Midnight_ in her skin-tight outfit was lost on Mustard as he pushed part of the building's wall off of him and climbed up, granting him a view of the now demolished first floor of the tall building he now was within as well as the uninspired copy-pasted template of the city which lay outside the broken wall. Given that this place was meant to be destroyed they probably just built it efficiently rather than for any artistic value, but the lazy design still stood out to Mustard as he wheezed where he lifted himself up to.

Beside him was the now even more damaged Victory-class villain, and Mustard figured that if he was ever going to test his Quirk on these things now was the time to do so: it was missing an 'arm' and was struggling to free itself from the terrain damage it had caused.

Instantly poison seeped out his skin at various points, a gas forming around him in a small typhoon as the building quickly was flooded with the color purple. Any normal person catching a whiff of the gas would collapse, so having the machine right at his side catching the brunt of it was as good as it was going to get.

From within the poison cloud Mustard could sense the Victory-class still moving...but maybe it would just take a moment longer until—

This time Mustard dodged his opponent as he felt it move within his poison gas, the boy growling as he realized that this machine was still completely functional.

_My Quirk, it…_

Realizing that he was doomed to fight even this heavily wounded faux-villain, Mustard fought through the pain he felt from his having been put through a wall and ran out towards the street. Unsure if others would be outside, he stopped emitting his poison and tried to look around to where he could go to think things through...somewhere he could _think_ and not be struck for standing still.

The machine which struck him was still halfway down for the count and Mustard was unwilling to engage it physically, knowing quite well how scrawny he was. This meant he had a window of time to start running down the street to where he did not see any action so as to put some space between himself and the still-functional machine, time he used to try and process the fact that his Quirk was _absolutely useless_ right now.

"Get out of the way, shrimp!"

Mustard twisted his head around to see someone with various ranged weapons strung over their body run out of cover they took in a building. It would seem that a Venator-class machine they had shot with a sniper rifle was defeated and that they were now looking for a new target, with Mustard strolling right in their path causing them to almost collide. Demonstrating a degree of haughtiness, they shoved the much smaller Mustard aside and moved on as if out of spite for the flea who got in their way.

Most the action by the entrance had subsided due to the initial machines having been beaten down by the strongest of the pack, but further down the road more villain-bots could be seen roaming around in search of their targets. Mustard gained some more awareness of his situation by hearing Midnight's projected voice call out and say that a few minutes have already passed, this update being a dirge for his hopes given that he had not yet acquired a single point.

The gun-toting applicant took aim in the middle of the street to fire far further down the road at the machines which lay there, his face grinning as he opened fire.

"My Quirk's bullets can cut through anything: sayonara 'bots!"

True to his word, the bullet fired carved right through its target and instantly wiped out a Victory-class machine, the same kind Mustard's own Quirk did nothing against...and that fact infuriated him.

_Only a few minutes left…I can't fail...not now...father, mother, they..._

Steeling himself, Mustard grit his teeth as he did something he knew could backfire horribly: he ran ahead at the machines at the same time as the gun-user, who seemed out of sniper rifle ammunition but was in possession of plenty of other kinds for his assault rifles, pistols, and other tools brought alongside for the test.

All that gear meant that they were slowed down though, while Mustard was simply a bit winded by his run-in with his first opponent: with enough effort he was able to outrun this other fool towards where there were more machines, picking up enough distance that he could then activate his Quirk mid-run and have its use 'justified' by there not being anyone directly beside him.

As planned, the other applicant collapsed onto the ground, half-weighed down by their gear as they slammed into the hard road beneath them. They had no idea what Mustard's Quirk was, so when some purple mist surrounded him they had been about to complain about it obscuring their vision...until they possessed none and were completely out-cold.

Mustard didn't _directly_ gas his competitor, and he felt they deserved it anyways, so he felt no remorse as he tried to pick up some of the weapons dropped by the idiot. Just as he was done lifting a heavy assault rifle and decided it was better to leave it be Mustard was met by a familiar voice.

**"****You in the gas mask! Harming other participants is strictly prohibited!"**

He froze as he was instantly reprimanded for his action, Midnight appearing as if from nowhere amidst his gas.

_Why couldn't I sense her?_

Mustard had met Midnight once before when he was much younger, though he had been one of a crowd and thus had not likely stood out to her. Some other applicants had been distracted by just looking at her, but Mustard found that instead he couldn't sense her at all...instead of feeling someone squirming through his miasma it was like a void was stepping through. It could be felt if particularly paid attention to since things still shifted around it, but it was not like how he could sense normal people.

_Maybe her Quirk makes her immune to my own...they are quite similar and she never has to worry about her own Quirk harming her, unlike me._

A part of him wanted to be a fan and remark that he was amazed she was strolling through his poison to come accost him, but the prideful side of him was still too pleased with how his plan paid off to focus on Midnight.

"What, it's my fault that others run into obviously poison gas due to their own incompetence?" he nearly chuckled, but refrained from doing so to not upset her.

Now standing right before him, Mustard found himself actually uncomfortable in her presence: the last time he saw her in-person was when he was much younger, but now he could not face her directly since he admired her too much as a personal 'Hero' to look at her curves the way others would. It felt awkward, and he was grateful that his mask could hide his expressions and how his eyes were averted to the ground instead of the woman who seemed ready to strike him with a whip.

"What of your theft then? One could say you did this on purpose to acquire their equipment."

Mustard on the inside was thrilled to get to talk to the only Hero he had really bothered to 'follow', but another part of him knew that each moment he spent explaining himself to the entrance official was another he could be scoring points to pass the exam.

"How would _you_ pass the test Ms. Midnight?"

That did the trick, for Midnight dropped her hostility as she pointed for Mustard to move ahead.

"You raise a good point…I'll allow it, but you had best keep an eye on your powers from now on!"

If he passed Mustard would thank her when he was her student, but until then he was dedicated to making that dream a reality: he was able to lift pistols from the unconscious applicant, and if their boast was true for all of their bullets then Mustard knew he could use the weapons to wipe out other machines. He had limited ammunition so he could not afford to waste shots, but with twelve rounds in each pistol he was certain he could catch up a bit.

* * *

One of the would-be students leading the charge was Pony herself, content with bashing through her targets and overpowering the low-point machines since they were all she could truly handle. The larger ones did not really care if she struck them with her horns, and since she had limited control over her Quirk she could not just fire horns at them all day.

Despite this limitation she was still high in terms of points, surpassing many others because she was simply running ahead of them and cleaning up the easier machines before anyone else could even reach them. By just charging on and on, around one corner and the next, she was able to sweep through the city with ease.

The locations of the machines she was running at had brought her back somewhat towards where she began, and in the process she caught a glimpse as a purple cloud enveloped the area: drawn by the sight, machines entered it and she could hear their wheels spinning as they raced towards the source of the poison.

She had almost forgotten about the boy who gave her the mask she was wearing as she ran ahead, and by now thinking of him she felt some slight guilt. Was he going to be okay against all those machines? It wasn't like poison was going to do anything to them...

_Mustard..._

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to hinatayvonne and Reishin Amara for reviewing last chapter, and philbuispeh, Headcase196, Reishin Amara, and hebihanshu123352 for favoriting/following it! I appreciate your support, and I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**If you have any thoughts please leave them in the reviews below!**


	3. Only Human

**Chapter Three: ****Only Human****  
**

* * *

Mustard laughed as he shot an Imperial-class machine through the chest, it being the first drawn to him by his highly-visible tactic that both brought enemies to him like moths to a flame as well as hindered their sight and made it difficult for the robots to aim. He could feel that Midnight was watching, and that was all the more reason he felt he ought to perform: this was his moment to shine now that he had a way to actually deal with these pests.

One bullet was not enough however, and Mustard found himself having to put three more shots through its hull before the large machine collapsed down by his side without ever having reached its target.

"That's three points...who else wants to try me!"

Mustard had done what he could to learn about his father's profession a couple years back, trying to use it as a way to curry favor from him now that a younger sibling had stolen the attention. As a very young child Mustard remembered some familial warmth, but now he only ever felt uncomfortable around his mother and father, and had ever since his brother had been born. Learning about being a cop, and learning how to fire a firearm from his father's friendly co-workers was an attempt to get around that.

It hadn't worked, but maybe after he got into U.A. he could prove his worth to them instead.

_Twenty shots left..._

Others drawn to him were two Victories, another Imperial, and a Venator, but Mustard found himself calm even as they honed in on him: this was like shooting at the police firing range, for anything moving within his poison cloud (save Midnight) could be felt by Mustard as if it was right within his grasp.

Two shots to each Victory ripped them apart, punching sizable holes that brought with them chunks of circuitry, while the Venator took three shots to put down, and the Imperial took yet another four as the behemoth raced towards Mustard. He might have had to use someone else's Quirk to do the job, but it was his own Quirk which allowed for it and boosted his ego...but a flaw inherent in his miasma's sensory system soon presented itself.

_Nine left...I'll have to make them count, but these small fry are easy score-boosters._

As Mustard laughed at how quickly he could rack up points when provided with a simple tool to offset his Quirk's weakness (something he would keep in mind for the future), the machines he just shot began to move from where they fell around him. Surrounded by their fallen forms, Mustard _could_ sense that they were moving, but given that they fell close to him due to their original momentum it left little time for Mustard to actually react given their superior speed to his own.

Mustard growled as he was forced to fire some of his remaining rounds into the faux-villains right as they used the last of their functionality to leap at him, the boy frustrated that he was going to be out of ammo so soon after he acquired it.

**_"Stay down you metal morons! How many times do I have to shoot at you until you get the picture!?"_**

One of them managed to fall into him even as the last bullet he had in one pistol left ripped through its head (Mustard's aim being near perfect thanks to his Quirk's senses), and he stumbled back through his own cloud as he sought to regain his footing...

That was when he was reminded of something important: the very first machine he encountered that day.

Not about to give up its pursuit, the Victory-class robot had charged at Mustard once it finished freeing itself from the debris it buried itself within. Mustard gasped for air as its mangled form crashed into his gut, sending him careening into one of the fallen robots nearby.

His mind seized in fear as he realized it may have just damaged his oxygen tank, knowing full well that it would take some time for the poison around him to disperse and that if he was left unconscious by his own Quirk he would never live down the humiliation. The pain of his body was overshadowed by a gripping fear as at any moment the canister on his back could stop working, or his gas mask could come loose from a wild strike, things that would prove far more dangerous than simply being knocked around by some tin can.

_I…I can't lose..._

Crawling to his hands and knees, Mustard winced as he finally realized one of his legs had been wounded, and as if to add insult to injury he could sense that further down the road the zero-pointer had arrived...Mustard had been so caught off guard by this one enemy that he had only just now realized the rumbling approach of that other machine, but he could not even afford to pay it another second of mind: he had to escape this rampaging one-pointer if he was even going to think about the other.

Hurling himself to the side, Mustard barely escaped the one-pointer's next attack which struck into one of its struggling brethren instead. The force of his dodge saw Hiroto stumble and fall down thanks to his weakened leg, and he cursed to himself as shrapnel from the machine struck in his place slashed across his prone form. None of it was too deep, but it was enough to draw blood and further his worries. With each passing moment he could feel his world crashing down around him, fight or flight instincts blaring as he struggled just to keep himself alive until the next moment.

_I only have one bullet left, but if I use it on something worth so little..._

To his own surprise he could feel his body shaking as the fear he had been trying to stave off completely overwhelmed him. He could shoot it and make near-certain he failed by using his ammo on a machine worth a single point, or he could be beaten down and fail automatically thanks to his own inability to combat it...either way he was going to _fail_, something he had not actually done yet in his school career. His doubts from the beginning of the test had proven true, he _was_ completely overwhelmed in this situation despite trying to 'cheat' and use another's Quirk for his own benefit.

Gripping the pistol in his palm, Hiroto found tears welling in his eyes as he lay on the ground and tried to take aim within his miasma at the first villain-bot he had encountered and fled from...he had a single shot to take it down, and the chances he had of actually hitting were lower than any of his targets so far: they may have all been in better condition than this torn-up machine, but Mustard's miasma had been disrupted by all the recent movement which made it harder for him to exactly estimate where it was.

It didn't matter how powerful his Quirk was in general, how far it set him ahead of so many others...in the end he was left with the sinking realization that for all his pride and sense of grandeur that he was still just like any other typical Human right now. A bystander of the sorts who was deadweight to any Hero trying to save them, someone who could only get in the way...someone worthless and, to him, not worth saving when there were so many others in need.

Taking aim, he ignored everything else as he tried to squint through tears to make out the form and sound of the approaching villain...to end the test at least on his own terms.

_"__Thundarr Seto!"_

Mustard's eyes widened as within his gas he could see two separate sparks of electricity form around something, then the second thereafter crash into and gore the menacing machine that had given him chase.

As it tumbled back, falling to pieces, Mustard realized that the distorted voice he had just listened to was _Pony's_. She was wearing the gas mask he had given her, making her broken Japanese sound even more unique, and from the look of things her horns had gathered electricity. It had been nothing near the level of power demonstrated by others taking place in the test, making Mustard realize it might just be a carried-over part of a parent's Quirk rather than the focus of her own powers, but that did not lessen the fact that she had just beaten down the very machine he had been left near helpless before.

He hadn't even realized it, but he had stopped using his Quirk at some point and the gases around him were fading down, allowing Mustard to see her with his own eyes as Pony offered a hand forth for him to take.

"Mustard-friend okay?"

She sounded like she was smiling...but instead of his usual pride Hiroto felt nothing but shame. Instead of his gas mask protecting her from his Quirk when he was demolishing the test, as he had intended to do, here she was able to save him just because he gave it to her...instead of it being to _her_ benefit it had been to his own. It made his act of giving it to her feel worthless, especially since she did not have to come help him...that was another crushing blow to his pride all on its own.

It didn't matter if his Quirk was way more capable than Pony's, or even Midnight's, right now all Hiroto could think about was that he was just a weak, regular Human like any other. Here and now he wasn't as special as he had always touted himself to be, he wasn't better than those around him, and he was going to fail. The ways he always justified to himself behind why others mistreated him, that he was better than them, crumbled down and left a form of despair in their place.

_You didn't need to save me..._

He could hear other students fleeing from the zero-pointer, some crying out in terror given how it was as tall as the tallest of the buildings in this faux-city, but Mustard did not really care that it was seemingly headed down the street in his direction. He didn't care that Pony was trying to help him up...what mattered was that Pony _could_ pass the test and deserved to be at U.A. unlike him. Each moment she spent pitying him was another she was not spending passing the test, and so Mustard slapped away her hand.

If he was going to get up, he was going to do it himself...not by dragging someone else down with him

"Leave me…"

Pony's face was masked, but that did little to mask her confusion.

"Huh?"

Gesturing to his leg and the wounds still oozing blood on his body, Mustard made it abundantly clear that he considered himself out of the fight.

"This isn't ketchup, Ketchup...right now my Quirk's useless, my leg's wounded, and you can actually fight these things…" he struggled to his hands and knees, forcing his weight on his unwounded leg despite not even being able to stand yet, "So get out of here. I can handle myself just fine."

The zero-pointer was coming, and Mustard did not want to see the only other applicant he at all cared for be harmed by it. At the same time he also did not know quite how to accept her help, since that was not something he typically was on the receiving end of: he would rather just crawl out of its way and wait out the clock, full well knowing he could not use his Quirk again on a student and escape punishment...and that one bullet would not be enough to take it out.

Pony had different plans, standing before Mustard and lowering her horns towards the absolute monster of a machine headed their way.

"Hero no leave fren. Pony be like All-Might!"

With that said, Pony launched the horns atop her head right at the villain, the horns being absolutely insignificant compared to its overall size and thus like a fly facing a whale. Mustard would normally scoff at such an action, but instead found himself oddly silent...especially when right after she shot her first set of horns forth another set grew to be shot as well. Four horns in total soon after flew away from where Pony stood controlling them, and to Mustard's surprise they were able to impale the zero-pointer with ease...but they did nothing to stop it.

"Machines have off-button, like toaster at home, so Pony will hit that!"

So she was aiming for some special way of turning the thing off? That certainly would allow wannabe Heroes who possessed more than just brute force Quirks to pass...but still do nothing for Mustard's own.

Pony began to run towards the machine to both draw attention away from Mustard and to get a better look at the target she was going to be aiming for, not possessing the sensory powers Mustard did when he had his miasma up...not that it likely would help him much in locating a switch, though he would at least have a general feel for its entire body.

The zero-pointer did not appear fond of the fact that one student actually was trying to engage it, and soon noticed Pony as she emerged from the fading purple mists that Mustard had summoned forth earlier. He reached a hand out as if to stop her, but halted when he realized that there was no changing her mind...they were different in an important way, and that was that Pony genuinely wanted to be a _Hero_, not just someone who was respected.

That same heroism, of charging into danger to confront a villain even at the risk of one's own life, was what saw the giant machine retaliate before Pony could get in a good shot at it now that she was closer and it was only a few hundred feet away from where Mustard lay: with a giant hand it slammed a building's side and forced the twenty-story structure to come crashing down in the direction of where Pony was running.

Mustard collapsed down when he thought he saw Pony be crushed by it in an instant, his attempt to reach out having deprived him of one of the few things keeping him off the ground and the shock of possibly seeing her _die_ knocking the wind out of him even more.

_Pony..._

As soon as it had left him though some breath returned to Mustard when he tried looking up at the machine only to see that Pony had launched a horn into the air, grabbed it, and had used it to lift herself up into the air. Some of the debris _had_ struck her, and Mustard noticed that it had torn her outfit somewhat to reveal her bleeding just as he now was, but Pony still used the opportunity to fly right in towards the villain by maneuvering her horn and avoiding the next swing of the behemoth's arm.

Pony swung off of her own horn and shifted her horns to fire them down at her target, apparently spotting something of worth to aim at...but even though her horns struck true her lack of precision caused them to strike harmlessly against the beast. She had likely never done anything of this sort before, aiming while first flying and them leaping to get a better angle so high up in the air, so it was little wonder that she was not entirely accurate...but that did not earn her respite from the green monstrosity's attacks.

Mustard found his fists clenching as Pony was clipped by the very edge of one giant hand, having used a pair of horns shot in mid-air to maneuver partially out of the machine's range, but she was not fast enough: Pony slammed into a wall before falling down, only not dying from the fall because she lingered on in consciousness enough to still hold one of her horns she shot...it slowed her fall as she continued trying to keep it up in the air, but eventually she did strike the ground and cry out in pain from her failed attempt to defeat the machine headed towards her 'friend'.

_That_ had its effect on Hiroto, with him gritting his teeth and silencing the doubts that had been swimming around his head since he arrived at the battlefield.

Was it because she had actually been kind enough to speak with him? To call him 'friend'? Was it that he found her smile 'cute', quite like the rest of her? It surely wasn't that he harbored true feelings of heroism in his heart, for he had always found the whole concept odd...but, whatever the reason was, Mustard found the strength to stand once more.

_My Quirk might be useless right now, but…_

While poison gas may possess no effect against machines, it _did_ still effect Humans: Humans who were all now using their Quirks to escape from or slow the behemoth machine as it lumbered forth. Haphazardly using their powers to run rather than use them in coordination to defeat a threat that would grant them no points, they were in a burst demonstrating their unique talents: among the nearby applicants was someone with the power to create blinding light, a bestial man who could separate his body into knife-life appendages to send at his foes, a woman with thorns for hair that could grow and lash out, and dozens more of varying abilities.

It was not some calculated ploy when Mustard unleashed as much poison gas as his body could physically do, but rather a Hail Mary intent on one goal: he was going to be crushed by this machine no matter what, he was going to _fail_ no matter what, but that did not mean he couldn't try to cause the others using their quirks to have them misfire. They only sought to escape, and by forcibly knocking them out their powers would lose direction and focus, causing damage not only to the area around them but also perhaps the machine menace.

After Midnight's warning it was no secret that it would disqualify him, but Mustard would be damned if he was not going to show off his Quirk to all who were watching and demonstrate that while he was outmatched by a machine he _still_ was the strongest one here.

_**"Get away from her, you useless hunk of scrap!"**_

Emitting his gas over time was no problem for Hiroto, and he never had to really worry so far about running out of it since he only needed at most maybe a minute of it to get the job done...but that didn't mean he couldn't deplete his own gas supplies sooner like someone sprinting instead of conserving their energy in a jog.

Purple mists flooded as far as Mustard could see as he used his power, the realization that his own mask had been cracked and his oxygen tank now depleted thanks to a leak completely ignored in favor of using his Quirk to its fullest. This would be a foolish risk in a 'normal' engagement, since all an opponent would have to do was hold their breath briefly to escape its effects until the gas dissipated, but right now Mustard just wanted his Quirk to reach as far as it could.

He could hear screams as other applicants saw others drop to the ground, unconscious, but the chain-reaction Mustard had hoped for was already going off: those in the process of using their Quirks let loose randomly, in particular with those closest to the machine that swatted Pony out of the sky since they were the first to be struck by Mustard. A knife-like limb store through one of the thing's hands, a burst of flame seared through one of its legs by the joint, thorn-tipped vines that had once been lifting up a building to aid someone crushed beneath lay en-masse across its feet, drills flew out and struck it as well as several nearby buildings...one by one other applicants passed out and their dangerous powers were let loose all around them thanks to no longer being under control.

With everyone blinded for the most part by the purple in the air as well as occasional blinding flashes the mass-panic breaking out only increased, but standing tall through it all was Mustard: he suddenly felt a clarity he had lacked earlier and, having discarded the empty and useless pistol from earlier, he lifted his last weapon to await the perfect shot: the combination of Quirks striking at the machine, so many that Mustard could not keep track of them thanks to the many applicants taking the exam, had destabilized the machine and it began to fall thanks to a seared joint meeting a tripped foot.

When he was certain his shot would land true Mustard took it, and in the process he shattered one of the eight red 'eyes' that comprised the thing's face. As spoken by the person he stole it from, the bullet fired was able to rip through the machine's entire head and exit out of the back with chunks of machinery coming with it.

Crashing down on the ground and landing only ten feet from him, Mustard let out the breath he had been unwittingly holding...

_I..._

"Mustard, you did it!"

He glanced to the side as his vision began to grow blurry, spotting that Pony had escaped the carnage and destruction of a large machine crashing across various buildings...something that made Mustard happy, as he had been trying to protect her and yet his plan could very well killed her instead.

_Pony...you..._

As she ran over to congratulate him Pony noticed that Mustard's body no longer was standing resolutely, instead beginning to slump down as his leg gave out and then slowly the rest of him until Mustard had collapsed down on the ground.

"Mustard?"

A punctured air tank and broken gas mask could only be ignored for so long, and Mustard had inhaled his own Quirk finally: he had 'won', yet defeated himself in the process thanks to damage he had accrued earlier on mounting up and finally dragging him to the hard embrace of the concrete beneath him.

_**"**__**Time's up!"**_

* * *

_..._

_..._

_..._

_What..._

It had been midday when Hiroto collapsed, yet the orange sunset evident from the window he awoke by told him that a fair amount of time had passed since then. Looking down, he noticed that he was in a hospital gown instead of the clothes he had worn to the exam, and matching them was the hospital bed he was sitting in.

_I suppose it makes sense...they probably dragged all of those who failed to a place like this for their injuries..._

The only thing _not_ matching was the fact someone was sitting to his side, and it took a few moments for Mustard's vision to return enough to him to realize that it was _not_ someone he expected to be there...he could see maybe his family coming to be by his side, maybe even Pony after everything that had happened, but _Midnight?_

If he was not so worn out Mustard would be embarrassed about actually getting a real chance to speak with her...but instead he could only bring a hand to his head and massage his sore temple.

"Where am I?"

The school may have brought him to be cared for at their own facilities, which would not likely mean his parents getting a bill for what the school's robots had put him through...but a general hospital would mean returning home for a scolding unlike any he had experienced thus far.

"U.A.'s infirmary. You were wounded during the entrance exam, both by the machines and your own power, so you needed a lot of rest even with Recovery Girl's powers."

Hiroto nodded, mulling over this information and what to do now that he was awake again...only for the gripping fear he had faced earlier to return in a more subdued fashion, a realization dawning on him even as he had tried to fight against it earlier.

"I failed, didn't I?"

Midnight's lack of response as she tried to find a way to tell him was all Hiroto needed to know: he could be a failure to his family, they saw him as that anyways. He could be an outcast at school, that was nothing new. But being a failure who broke his favorite Hero's commands in anger...he remembered running into Midnight during the exam and how it now made him feel ashamed in a way he had not felt in quite some time.

Mustard moving to get up prompted Midnight, who was oddly wearing casual clothing instead of her alluring Hero costume, to rush closer and make certain he remained where he was.

"Wait, you still have to recover!"

Hiroto noticed that she had nearly pulled up a sleeve to knock him out if needed, but fortunately for Midnight he was too weak to struggle...he couldn't get up with her stopping him even if he wanted, and so he didn't fight it.

What he _did_ resist was her gaze though, trying to fight the feelings of pain and anguish over having failed the entrance exam as well as his personal shame of having disobeyed her on a such a scale that he was wondering if he would be reported to the police. He _had_ attacked so many others after all...and it didn't matter that his intentions were to aid another, what mattered was the act itself or so he was told. Breaking the rules was still breaking the rules even if nobody gets hurt, that's what his father told him...to think otherwise was to be a 'villain'.

Seeing his attempt at stoicism made Midnight soften her grip on him, being able to tell that the young boy was barely holding himself together thanks to the news she had wordlessly given him. Hiroto did not understand why she was being kind to him, so even as she attempted to hold his hand supportively he continued to look away in his shame as his sandy hair rested askew before his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hiroto. This exam is just not meant for Quirk users like you or I…" she said softly before reaching over and gently bringing his head to be looking at her, "But it doesn't excuse using your powers on another person. You likely obtained enough points to pass by doing what you did, but were disqualified for breaking the rules to do so. I know it's not fair...but I saw what you did, and I am proud of you for protecting someone even when you didn't have to. Few students ever defeat the obstacle-villains, and yet you managed to do so without even having your Quirk harm it...you are smart, and I truly wish I could have you as my student."

While her words were sympathetic, and her tone far gentler than what he had ever heard from her on televised broadcasts of her heroism or in videos online, Hiroto could not help but feel _worse_ at hearing them. So he had passed, and his favorite Hero was proud of what he did, and yet he failed anyways thanks to the rules? He could attend the school of his choice, the way he could finally earn some respect for once, if not for the fact he had to hurt others to save someone? To win?

Clenching his fist hurt, revealing that he had perhaps strained a wrist when he had been knocked around earlier and only not felt it thanks to adrenaline, but Hiroto found himself desperately holding back the tears again threatening his eyes as anger rose within him.

In a surprising show of understanding, Midnight gave him a small smile and tried to focus on something that _wasn't_ his failure.

"Did you at least apply to General Studies, or even Support? I had a look at that mask you made, and it was quite commendable for someone your age to make on their own."

She was entirely right, and just because he did not qualify to join the Hero course did not mean he could not still make his way into U.A. somehow...and once he was there he could always transfer into its Hero Course, couldn't he? All he would have to do was prove himself through other means, and she seemed to have faith in him despite his own lack of it.

"No, I didn't."

He had not even considered it really if he was to be honest. Hiroto had gone in expecting to crush whatever his exam was, such was the overwhelming power of his Quirk, and he had not expected really to be bested by the mere _method_ of testing. If he had not been so overconfident and full of himself he could have researched and perhaps known what he would be going up against, but he had been so pleased with his own power after years of being mocked that he had not through twice about what he would do if he _failed_.

Now he would have to do just that, and it left a queasy feeling in his stomach.

Not entirely discouraged by this, Midnight still continued giving him a supportive smile as she sat at his bedside.

"I would recommend you apply again next year. You are young for your year, so you could even begin as a first-year student at UA. I could even see about having you undergo the special recommendation test instead of the normal one."

_How would you know that? Were you reading my medical file?_

Hiroto supposed that since no-one else was present in the room, and he had been unconscious for so long, that it was no surprise that Midnight had taken a look at the file he could see attached to the end of his bed. Still, he felt flustered by the fact that Midnight would even be here after everything...he expected her to be angrier, but the fact that she _wasn't_ yelling at him actually made him feel worse. If he was being admonished he might flinch and feel a different kind of internal pain, but he could say to himself that he did the right thing...to hear that she was sorry for him and was proud instead made Hiroto feel like he had done something wrong. That the hammer was still going to drop, and in doing so demolish whatever positive feels he may have allowed himself to have.

"Ms. Midnight…" he finally broke his eye contact with her again, instead staring down from where he sat up at his feet, "For as long as I remember I've looked up to you and your powers. Don't pity me. It doesn't help, and it makes me feel worse."

That caught Midnight off-guard, and she had no easy reply to it: instead she waited to see what Hiroto would say or do next, and surely enough something did make its way out of his mouth when he had a moment to think.

"Did the American girl pass?"

Midnight's expression warmed up slightly at that, thinking fondly of the friendship she had witnessed while officiating the event, but unlike her usual self she did not immediately tease him over asking about Pony, "I would have to check, but I believe so. She saved you from some other villains after you collapsed, and she stayed here until visitors were not allowed."

Mustard was not entirely sure why he asked, but he did nod.

"…good for her."

He was happy for her, he supposed...he just wished that he could have passed right alongside her. Knowing someone he liked was going to be a student while he was not made him feel envious even though he did not want to, and perhaps reading this on his expression prompted Midnight to refer back to her default behavior to maybe cheer him up.

"She left you her number, saying she wanted to thank you. It seems you have an admirer."

Hiroto ignored the implications in her tone as he shrugged it all off.

"I helped her, she wants to thank me…it's just common courtesy."

That would help him, he felt...speaking with someone who he was envious of would just make him feel like more of a failure than he already was. She succeeded, and he wished her the best, but in this particular moment...in this _mood_...he didn't feel the willpower to speak with Pony.

Her staying to see him though...that did at least make Mustard feel some form of satisfaction. His own family had not seemingly come to see him, and yet a foreigner had...and Midnight. Midnight, who had stated that Pony stayed until guests had to leave, and yet was here still herself.

_I guess staff and family would be the exceptions..._

As Midnight pointed to the phone number left for Mustard she also winked, her playfulness returning slightly more, "I put my number as well, just in case you want to look into joining UA at a later date or need someone to talk to about your powers. Just be sure to not mix up the two, since while I admire the romance of one's youth I would rather not receive any of your 'private' texts."

She was being serious but still herself, and in a way that helped cheer Hiroto up...only for the smile that almost dawned on him to falter when he realized he couldn't really make use of this information.

"Thank you...I don't even have a phone though. No reason to, as I haven't had anybody to bother calling."

_That_ shocked the normally composed Midnight, and she took a moment to look with concern at Hiroto as he pulled himself over the edge of the bed and forced himself to his feet. He seemed intent on leaving, and technically he _was_ cleared to go, so she couldn't really keep him against his will...but she had wanted him to recover all the same before going home.

"I appreciate everything you've said...but I have to go home now. I need time to myself...I hope you understand."

The nod he got back was small, and he could read a degree of sadness in it from the unusually mute Midnight, but Hiroto began to force himself towards the exit one step at a time despite the pangs in his leg.

On the way out, while passing by Midnight, he found himself stopped by one of her arms...which wrapped around him and he found himself being _held_. It was so foreign that he froze up at the touch, though he calmed down when she spoke up as well.

"...I hope you'll take my advice. U.A. will be waiting for you, okay Hiroto? Just take the time you need..."

This said, Midnight let go, and Hiroto found himself dragging himself home bit by bit as he contemplated how he was going to explain to the people who had not come to see him that he had failed at the one thing he ever thought he had talent at.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to ****hinatayvonne and 17konbro for your reviews last chapter, as well as Silverknife101, darkwolf54326, 17konbro, Aboffy, and Kerksagog for your follows/favorites, and I hope you all continue to enjoy!**

**If you have any thoughts please let me know what you think in the reviews below!**


	4. Type A

**Chapter 4: Type A**

* * *

February 26th would be a day forever rued by Hiroto, or so he told himself. The sheer act of going home with his belongings returned to him by the staff at UA was difficult, for not only did his body feel tired from whatever Recovery Girl did to heal him the weight of what still lay before him still bore down on his shoulders. He had failed the entrance exam, he had been too sure of himself to even prepare a backup plan, and now he had to return home with that shame.

The anxiety boiling over in his stomach made an already slow trip take even longer than it had to as Hiroto forced himself to carry his heavy bag with a damaged air tank and two gas masks that could use some patching up. He could handle it well enough when he wasn't exhausted, but he was still scrawny and young for his year like Midnight said thus making him struggle physically too even as his mind raced about what he was going to say.

When he got home he had a sort of mini-speech planned out to try and explain how he came to pass due to the school's flawed testing method, and excusing his attacking of other prospective students by raising the matter of how he saved Pony, but to Hiroto's surprise his absence for most the day and failure was not even acknowledged.

After all, if no-one was home how could it be brought up at all?

Hiroto felt his attempt to salve his wounded pride and to save face in front of his family completely fade away as he read a note left for him inside the house. It turned out that his younger brother had received a letter accepting him to a well-renowned private school in the area, and that to celebrate the family had gone out to eat at a fancy restaurant.

The paper crumpling in his hands was not even felt by Mustard as he tried to fathom why a family would leave him in a hospital while _they all ate_. They could have visited him, they could have brought him with them, but they seemed as if they had just forgotten what he was doing that day altogether...that, or they had heard about what happened and would rather ignore their 'problem child' so they could instead enjoy the occasion presented to them.

Alone, in a house with no lights on as the night sky to settle in above him, Hiroto was glad no one could see him crying.

* * *

After he gathered himself enough to make a small, quick dinner and then drag himself upstairs Hiroto found himself staring at the ceiling in his room without a real clue what to do next. He had not applied to any other schools, and many would have had their entrance exams or interviews done by now, so his future prospects were looking dimmer by the moment.

Was he going to be scolded upon his parents' return? Ignored? He could honestly see either happening at this point, and resentment bubbled within his chest as he thought about who they _chose_ to spend their time with instead. Chose to _praise_ despite the boy's middling talents and generic Quirk.

If he were to be honest, Hiroto disliked his brother. A few years younger, he was going to be going into Middle School at the time Hiroto was supposed to be moving on to UA...and the boy irritated him to no end not really because of what he did, it was because of how the world fawned over him. It was petty, but it had always been obvious to Hiroto which brother was their parents' favorite...and he sometimes could see why, deepening his anger.

After all, _he_ was the one who got called to the principle's office on occasion. He was the one who talked back and spoke condescendingly when others made mistakes. He was the one with a Quirk so dangerous he could possibly kill everyone on the street they lived if he let it loose. So what if he had talent and was at the top of his own class? No-one had ever really wanted to be around him, and that included his parents.

_They're not even going to want to talk to me now...they barely asked how my day was before, and now I'm a failure instead of just being a disruptive student._

Out of some idle curiosity Hiroto had brought home his medical file, essentially having stolen it from the hospital, but what did he care of that? It was a file about him, and while he may not have wanted to sit around as the closest thing he had to an idol pitied him that did not mean Hiroto lacked a desire to know of what happened to him. After all it wasn't as if he had really anything better to do than dwell on his failure and how close he had come to even dying...

Unfortunately though the file makes for a short read: the injuries listed were all ones he had been aware of, he hadn't suffered from a concussion or anything else that may have been unknown to him at the time, and now he was all better except for the exhaustion left over due to Recovery Girl's powers. He had needed a blood donation though from all the blood he lost since Recovery Girl was not available immediately, but blood was blood...or so he thought.

As someone who prided himself on his reading comprehension and attention to detail however, one thing stood out to him on it.

_Blood Type: A_

Left alone, that meant close to nothing, and Hiroto had never been one to ascribe value to the various kinds of Blood types outside of the practicality of O- being the universal Donor. Even the so-called Sanguine blood, Choleric blood, Melancholic, Phlegmatic...all that nonsense had been ignored by him growing up even when he was told he was a Melancholic type by his classmates due to his general attitude. Simple descriptions people use to describe types of blood one possesses which determine their behavior, and thus silly childish nonsense to be discarded as far as Hiroto was concerned.

Actual Blood Type though was important to note however as it was not random, it was not someone's personality trait being shallowly defined by another, it was _genetic_.

Born to a man with a poisonous Quirk and Type O blood, as well as a woman with an air Quirk and Type O blood, Health class had taught Hiroto that it made perfect sense that he was their child...and also physically impossible. Quirks tended to merge when two Quirk users had children, but Blood types did not suddenly change their properties unless someone's Quirk directly effected blood. O was known as the universal donor, yes, but it was also recessive.

Someone with A could not be born to two people with O blood, as to _have_ O blood they would need to not have A or B blood at all or else it would override the O.

Even as young as he was, simple medical knowledge taught Hiroto that either he was an illegitimate child of some sort, or adopted...knowledge that when heaped onto the rest of what he had experienced made him feel numb, yet at the same time comforted.

If he wasn't related to any of them then what did their opinions matter? They had ignored him for his little brother who was such a spitting image of his father that there was no doubt in his parentage, so whether he was related to one or both of his parents didn't matter: they made their choice and showed it today as well.

While not outright abused, and in fact having had his physical needs such as food and shelter always provided for, Hiroto had still not received as much emotional validation as he had sought growing up. Sometimes he would do something spectacular at school that would be acknowledged, sometimes he could on paper outshine his little brother in a way that he had to be praised for...but it was an uphill battle, and one that he had always felt like he was losing.

This changed everything though. Why compete with a brother who was not actually his brother? Why try to appeal to a father who must have known he was never his, whether adopted or illegitimate?

That just left Hiroto's peers as people he cared about in some form...and they were the ones he found himself worrying about now.

What would happen when he went back to school as a failure? What of his future academic career? Could he even truly get into a school at this point?

While learning that the family he had grown to resent wasn't related to him did in some form comfort Mustard, the fact that he still had a lot to prove to _others_ continued to cloud any real chance he had at 'joy'. No...he had to still prove to them that even though he couldn't get into the best school that he was still worthy of their respect, but to Hiroto's disappointment he was uncertain just how he could do that under his circumstances.

He spared a small glance over at the note given to him by Midnight which Pony had left for him, taking the smallest relief in the fact that for once he had gotten along with someone his own age...someone who didn't judge him for his Quirk, or his stature, or even just his attitude in general. Pony was kind, and the only girl he had spoken to in quite some time in any real depth other than his mother...but Hiroto's envy crept up at the thought of her. She had likely passed, while he had not...meaning that not only could he not go to school with her, he could not attend school on her level at all. He was her lesser now, and that dug into his pride.

Still, she had thanked him for saving her, so he forced a glance over her note which simply read:

_Mustard,_

_Thank you for save Pony me against bad robot villain! Miss Midnight says you may not pass even though I offered points because other students hurt, but you help save me just as I help save you so don't feel sad. You were Hero today, and UA silly if no take you._

_My father always says 'Perseverance' when he or I are sad, so if you sad try saying it too! Is good to soldier on through life's pains and hurts, as that is how we grow and not regress. Be strong, and Pony know you will succeed with that amazing Quirk of yours._

_Phone number is on back. Call Pony me if you want hang out, okay?_

_Your fren,_

_Pony_

...

...

Hiroto sighed as he looked at the paper more, finding that as he read it he became more and more flustered. A girl gave him her number, and saw him as a friend...

_Perseverance, huh?_

On a day he would no doubt proclaim to be the worst of his life, the day where he failed to enter the school of his dreams, where he figured out by accident that he was not a real member of the family he spent so many years trying to impress and make love him, the simple word of 'Perseverance' had an unexpected yet deep effect on him.

He may not have their respect _now_, but maybe _someday_ he would, so long as he just withstood the pains of mockery and abandonment.

* * *

Hiroto had eventually been chewed out by his father for not only failing, but also setting his goals so high that he had not even considered lesser schools in case he did fail. Hiroto, instead of apologizing or trying to make peace over the issue, just nodded his head along and ignored the attempted lecture. Days went by, he finished classes at his Middle School, and while others were all off to the various academies they applied to Hiroto was left to attend a general public school where he was told students went to have their futures die.

The courses he had to take were horribly boring to Mustard, covering content he had already learned yet had to go through again because other students had not. He had to relearn history he had already learned in class and studied far beyond in his free time, he had to go to school with people he looked down upon as morons far beneath him, and just as before he did not succeed at fostering any relationships with his peers except adversarial ones. He would sleep in class, or skip it altogether, but he was acing the subjects anyways which earned him resentment of students who this was new material to.

Each day Hiroto told himself the saying Pony left for him, that of 'Perseverance', and it helped him soldier on into the next lesson he was debating skipping or not because it was useless. When he did cut class it was not to just mess around, but rather to spend time at home where no-one was around to bother him. There he could test his Quirk under semi-controlled conditions, and it allowed Mustard to see his situation in a new light: he may not have gotten into a Hero course this year, but maybe next year he could. He already learned from his mistake in the UA Entrance exam, and he figured out the simple six digit code his father used to lock up his firearms: the next time he took the test he could just bring guns of his own and shoot his targets if they were immune, if he didn't get to just take the special recommendation exam mentioned by Midnight.

He just had to bide his time, persevere through the present, and by the time he was able to take the test again he would be ready.

As the weeks went by one of the things Mustard would spend his free time doing was watching television, and from it he was subjected to a reminder of his failure: the UA Sports Festival was a bitter reminder of Hiroto's failure, but also something with such cultural significance he could not help but watch. Having surpassed the Olympics in popularity as common sports waned in support and participation, the UA Sports Festival was the world's most popular competitive event. With so many students competing it was a thrilling thing to witness given the countless Quirks on display, and Mustard had always hoped to go see it in person one day...or perhaps participate firsthand.

Beyond all that however was the simple fact that watching others fight and compete validated Hiroto's own sense of worth: the thought of 'if I was there I would be winning' permeating his mind each and every moment of the event. It was a small consolation to know that if he managed to somehow get past the obstacle machines in the first round that the entire tournament would be a cakewalk.

The first round of the event was irritating to Mustard as it showed off the brutal force of those machines he could not even begin to fight with his own strength, but the fact that students were allowed to attack and impede one another meant to Mustard that he would have literally no competition as he instantly knocked them all out from the starting gate. He could then take his time to reach the finish line, and so as he watched the television from his couch he found himself smiling a bit.

Pony had made it through the first round he noticed, though she did not place particularly well at 37th, but Hiroto did at least have someone to cheer for...even if she couldn't hear him and no-one else was around. He had not taken her up on her offer due to his own pride and envy, but he did at least feel that he was being petty...he just did not have the will to override the fact that she was going to the school he wanted to while he was wasting a year of his life just to move onto the next one.

Midnight was the referee of the event as well, making it all the more worthwhile, though he general behavior did cause Hiroto to look away now and again...he respected her as a Pro-Hero, but he had to admit he was never comfortable with her risqué way of saying certain things. She was a perfect judge for an event like this however due to her ability to knock out participants in an instant, forcing them to stand down if need be, and so Mustard found himself praising her in much the same way as he liked to think highly of himself: she was in a role he could very well hold one day as well, and it was something to still aspire to.

_Perseverance._

The second round of the competition was one which both fascinated and irritated Hiroto in that it was literally designed for Pony: it was a cavalry battle where one student rode atop others like they were a horse. Pony, being a humanoid pony, was able to run like one and so could easily carry a teammate.

Unfortunately for her though it didn't seem like many wanted to pair with the girl who could barely speak their language, and so Pony was left with only some bug person as a rider...and perhaps it was years of following Midnight's battles and looking up to the woman, but something about the thought of someone 'riding' Pony made Hiroto's eye twitch a little. He had come to grips with the fact that he found her attractive weeks ago, and perhaps even maybe harbored a bit of a crush (not that he had ever experienced one), so the whole thing _bugged_ him for lack of better words.

The fact that he found himself liking her so much actually played a part in why Mustard had not reached out to her: he was not only envious, but also embarrassed and completely clueless how to do so. Wouldn't she look down on him, even if she didn't mean to? How could he just act like everything was normal and equal like when they met when now she was attending the top Hero course in the world, and he was in a school where only those unable to go anywhere else were forced to?

One student possessed the ability to create solid air as a barrier, something which made Mustard laugh in spite of himself when Pony crashed into it face-first during the cavalry battle. While she was one of the few he cared for now that he decided to stop trying to appease his family, he could not help himself when it came to how silly it looked for her to race into it on all fours.

Less funny was that she would end up losing in that round, keeping her from moving on to the final round of the competition, but Mustard felt that she had done well enough for how limited her Quirk was in the tests provided for her. He could have honestly lost in the first round if he could not get past the obstacle robots, so her getting this far was worthy of at least some respect and a sign that she was doing well in her overall training.

The tournament at the end with the remaining contestants honestly did not interest Mustard that much, but he did at least appreciate that these were some of the strongest students and that maybe he could learn something from their battles. So he sat through it begrudgingly, taking notes here and there where applicable, though he found himself almost falling asleep at the redundant steel versus rock fight.

Some kid named Tetsutetsu was facing off against someone with red hair, and their Quirks were functionally the same even if the specifics differed. As a result it was just a boring slugfest, and Mustard found himself smirking over how useless Quirks like those were compared to his own...after all he would have won this battle already, but here they were still punching at one another again and again fruitlessly thanks to their hardened bodies.

The winner of the tournament was some rageaholic who had to spend the ceremony at the end in chains and a muzzle he was so upset over how one of his opponents didn't take their match seriously, and so the tournament ended...just in time for Mustard's father to return home from a shift at the police station.

While he had not felt loved for many years, it was not like his family would go out of their way to be particularly cruel. They would ignore him at times, chastise him when he acted out of place, and so on and so forth...but Mustard went from laughing at the oddity of having to chain up your tournament's winner to stunned when for the first time he saw his 'father' lose his temper completely.

It was nothing like when he was told-off for using his Quirk for the first time when he hurt various other students: this time there was deep-seated anger behind it, and Hiroto sat still as for hours he was yelled at all because his school had called and informed his father that if Hiroto cut anymore classes he was to be expelled. He was attacked for spending more time playing with a dangerous Quirk than on his studies, tinkering with a gas mask he shouldn't have to have in the first place (since if he wasn't using his Quirk it posed no danger to him), dishonoring the family by failing to get into a better school to begin with, being lazy for not applying himself at the only one that would take him, and a list of other things up to and including being outshone by his little brother who was succeeding already in his own school.

In an underestimation of his verbal opponent in this one-sided argument, Mustard eventually gathered the courage to try and snipe back at the person yelling at him over things that could have been addressed individually over time but now were finally being paid attention to.

"Why do you care? It's not like you're my father."

Hiroto actually was shocked when a fist hit his cheek. In the weeks since his failed entrance exam Hiroto had not bothered to inform his family that he knew he wasn't related to them, even if he _had_ begun to feel it more and more since looking at his own medical file...they shared Quirks in common, but little else to the point that he was pale as a ghost and his family seemed to have a healthy tan to them. Before he just believed his introverted nature and staying inside reading was why, but the more he looked the odder everything felt.

While used to being hit on occasion at his various schools over the years, being hit by his father caught him off-guard and so he silently sat there as he was yelled at for being ungrateful and everything else he had been told he was doing wrong. Occasional angered strikes lashed out at Hiroto's arms and even his thigh on occasion from where he sat in shock next to his irate 'parent'. He had begrudgingly kept what he learned to himself out of some lingering loyalty to the people who looked after him for his whole life...but as Hiroto sat he was too shocked to remember then what Pony prescribed to him as a saying.

Instead he took the gas mask he had loaned to Pony, something he kept at his side while watching her participate in the competition, and tested just how potent his poison had become.

* * *

"What's your name, kid?"

He had snapped after someone threw all his faults in his face at length and coupled it with incorrectly handled anger. A normally stoic man had lashed out, and in return his 'son' had done the same by filling the house with so much poison gas that the man collapsed immediately since there was no air to breathe except for what Mustard's costume provided.

Mustard didn't really have much in the way of personal items he had a deep caring for, so packing a bag with what little he cared was easy. It was early May and the days were beginning to be nice out, so he didn't have to worry much about the elements either...just whatever it would take to be left alone.

For that, he stole the pistol he had the most practice with from his house, a .38 Revolver, as well as all the ammunition he could find for it. His gas masks were obviously included as well, all patched up from his time in the entrance exam, and so were the air tanks he had acquired through taking money from his alcoholic of a mother. Not like she would ever notice.

"Mustard, and I'm _not_ a kid."

So used to finding places and time to himself was Mustard that he was able to sleep out in an abandoned warehouse without anyone knowing any better. Nobody even seemed to be looking for him, which actually hurt after he calmed down. It was one thing to believe he was not wanted, it was another to see it proven.

A part of him felt like it was his own fault when he tried to figure out what to do and what the ramifications of what he _had_ done were: it was because of his own behavior that he had been confronted, that he had used his Quirk...but he soon found himself shaking his head and blaming his family for it instead. _They_ were the ones who rubbed his brother's academic success in every day. _They_ were the ones who never celebrated his own accomplishments to anywhere near the same degree. _They_ were the ones who instead of helping him when he was at his lowest instead went out to have fun without him.

That resentment, that loathing, built up until the idea of going back home and ending this runaway bit was far gone. He felt that there was something wrong and twisted in the world to allow things like this to happen, and his thoughts always lingered back to the school uniform he was wearing. He had never been much of one for fashion, so for apparel he brought only with him his school clothes since they would keep him warm along with the purple blanket he had possessed for as long as he could remember.

The weather may not be bad, but he was still living on his own.

"Well, Condiment, what's a little kid like you meeting with a man like me for? I may help people get what they want, but cheat sheets and test answers are out of my domain."

It had been one thing using his gun on practice targets, but it was another on people...but that did not mean that when someone stumbled into the warehouse Mustard was camping in that he did not use it. Some petty thief wanted to attack him, but their Quirk was something robotic related: no poison gas would work there.

A bullet did just fine though. A shot through the arm as a warning had given them the right idea and sent them scurrying off, and to Hiroto's surprise he didn't feel bad about it. Heroes hadn't been there to save him, and if he followed the law he'd have just been murdered for his 'turf'...so why follow the law? Lingering resentment over his pseudo-father and his job as an enforcer of the law likely drove the contempt for authority further.

Not having a job, money, or anything of real value to sell though meant that just surviving on his own was difficult however. All his life he had been provided for, and so he had to find a way to get some cash...something that he found a solution to when one day in town when he came across a gang of villains who had just robbed a bank using their common Quirk of super strength.

Rather than stay around to fend off the police or be the one they were hunting after Mustard only took _some_ of the money before returning to his hideout. It was so easy...and for once he was able to let loose without anyone laughing at him or telling him what to do. He was _free_, and it felt good.

"I said not to call me a kid. I'm not going to ask again."

Viral videos of the "Hero-Killer" Stain were beginning to circulate by the time Mustard had found himself actually comfortable in this new 'life' of his, living on his own and doing whatever he well pleased, and while he didn't really care about Stain's issues with Heroes _(after all, what moron would expect all Heroes to take no salary yet do it as a living? That would just mean rich people could do it and how many of them wanted to risk their lives?)_ Hiroto did find some sympathy for the general idea of there being _something_ wrong right now with the current state of things. After all, he shouldn't be here living on the street. He shouldn't have to hide his powers, he shouldn't have to be looked down upon by his classmates...

Oh yes, his classmates who thought he dropped out of school because he was too weak to get into UA. The kids from his neighborhood who mocked him for going to a worse school than them. His _family_ for the same...

For better or worse, in his mind everything always came back to his failure at UA, his moment to shine and prove his worth...the moment in which he threw away his future all thanks to the way the test was designed.

Stain may be a moron to Mustard, but something about his romanticized view of how the world must change was intriguing...and so Mustard sought out the League of Villains who were rumored to be associated with Stain.

Maybe there he could find some like-minded people.

"Come on Giran, give the kid a break, you heard what he did to those bank robbers_—why are we even talking to some little brat the police stole credit from?"_

The one known as 'Giran' was a arms dealer, or so the whispers said, and he had contact with the League of Villains so after some weeks of searching Mustard forced a thug at gunpoint to bring him to the man. He didn't actually intend to kill said thug, but a warning shot like he did with the would-be thief was enough to get his point across. He found the lowlife attacking someone else with some illegal support equipment, which meant he had to have contacts which caught Mustard's interest, and here he now was.

Between a firearm and a Quirk that trumped almost any he came across, Mustard was having quite an easy time in the streets and back-alleys of Japan: it was almost like this was what his Quirk was meant for, or so he reasoned to himself as a justification.

"Maybe, but I don't want to hear an earful from your boss if he isn't a good fit...so, 'Mustard', what is it that you want and what can you give me? If you don't make it worth my time I won't be doing business with you."

The League of Villains attacked UA in what was publicly known as the "USJ" incident, reportedly came close to killing the number one hero All Might, and were said to be welcoming members of all stripes into their ranks...

So, if he couldn't be a Hero, and living under the 'law' meant never being able to use his Quirk, then why not try being one of the most notorious Villains instead?

Mustard tossed a bag onto the table Giran sat at, willing to use his Quirk on the man to take it back if need be, "I laundered this money with methods my father used to complain about since they were too tricky to trace...help me join the League of Villains and it's yours."

Giran opened up the bag as his odd friend with a black and white mask named Twice peered over as well, only for the arms dealer's eyes to widen as he eyed the stolen money Mustard had been living off of inside.

Content with what was being offered, Giran grinned over at Mustard and decided to take things a little more seriously now.

"Not everyday someone your age beats up full-grown criminals with powerful Quirks, threatens a careless business associate of mine using my wares, and then offers me money to do what I usually get commissioned for anyways...you've got guts, I'll give you that, and that Quirk of yours seems quite handy. It may take some time, and some proper vetting, but let me make the right introductions and you'll get exactly what you're looking for."

Maybe if he was older, or more mature, Hiroto would question throwing his lot in with a bunch of criminals off of a whim...but right now he didn't care, and was growing more and more enthused with just how much he could accomplish with the Quirk he had to hide for so many years. What once had been mocked as useless now saw him with more money than he had use for, safety, and most importantly a growing sense of _respect_.

It was easier to just run away from his problems than confront them, and so that's what the fourteen-year-old did.

"Sounds like a plan, Giran-man! I can't wait to show the boss our new-guy, he's gonna love him!_—Or kill him, in which case I call dibs on his stuff!"_

* * *

"Miss Midnight, have you heard from Mustard-kun?"

Midnight had expected Pony to leave after the day's history lesson, but the girl had seemed off in her own world that day and so despite the school-day being over she still remained in her seat. Somewhat concerned, Midnight had approached her equine-like student and asked her if everything was alright, only to get an odd question in return...and one she did not know the answer to.

It had been over three months since the Entrance Exam, but not once had Hiroto reached out to Midnight...and out of respect she did not pry since he seemed quite hurt by the idea of his 'idol' pitying him. Still, if _Pony_ was asking about him...

"Why, have you not been talking to him?"

Midnight had been so wrapped up with the beginning of the school year, the USJ incident, and other matters that Hiroto had escaped her mind at points and her decision to respect his wishes kept her from prying the rest of the time. A part of her regretted that so much was going on in the Hero world that she could not spare much time for personal matters such as this.

"Nuh-uh, he hasn't called or texted me and that makes me sad. He was my first friend here, and he should be in Hero Classes too with me since I know he can be Hero," Pony responded earnestly, appearing upset about how she had not received any contact from 'Mustard', "I'm worried about him...and that maybe he forgot me..."

Sensing how her student was growing upset, Midnight quickly sought to console her, "Of course he hasn't...he may just need his space since he was quite distraught over being disqualified in the Entrance Exam. I promise that as soon as I hear from him I will let you know, and if you are concerned for his well-being I will check-up on him personally. Does that sound alright?"

It seemed to do the trick, as Pony soon beamed at her teacher while clasping her hands together, "Thank you Miss Midnight, I thankful am most!"

Midnight tried to keep from cracking a grin at Pony's speech, having noticed it get better bit by bit these past weeks...but instead decided to just smile in general to continue reassuring the girl right up until they both left.

Pony was a good student despite her occasional speech errors, and Midnight had remembered her ever since the Entrance Exam since she was the only one out of the crowd to try and befriend the lonely boy whose Quirk was so similar to Midnight's own. Part of being a Hero was looking out for others emotional needs, not just their physical ones, and so she saw potential in her American student from day one. Even now she remembered a boy she had only known a few hours, and it was that kind of heart that made a Hero at the end of the day.

Speaking of hearts, a part of Midnight's own had been nagging her: the thought that maybe she should have pushed harder to find some way to let Hiroto into UA...there were a lot of things that muddied the waters on the issue for her, but Midnight took some solace at least that she would very likely see Hiroto next year and be able to mentor him finally then.

...hopefully though the next time they met she wouldn't need to donate some of her Type A blood because some metal dimwit hurt him.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to ****John Prodman, hinatayvonne, and 17konbro ****for your reviews last chapter, as well as ****John Prodman, KingZekrom15, turn forever you and me, Sakura Idol, Unlucky-Fausto, Ghostly20, Observador Fantasma for your favorites/follows! ****I hope you all continue to enjoy.**

****This one was difficult to write as it had to deal with a lot of various things, but I feel I figured out a way to hit on everything necessary. I could have dragged out Mustard's "fall", but timeline-wise he fell by late May roughly which is only shortly after he would have viewed the UA Sports Competition so rather than drag out drama I figured I would get to the point and abide to canon. I'm not much of a drama-loving-llama, so apologies if people wanted more.****

****If you have any thoughts please let me know what you think in the comments below!****


	5. Miss USA's Fourth of July

**Chapter Five: ****Miss ****USA's ****Fourth ****of ****July****  
**

* * *

"Hit me as hard as you can, Class Rep!"

Classes were already over for the day, but that did not stop the indomitable will of the student known as Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. He had lost in the first round of the tournament that ended the U.A. Sports Festival and was determined to grow far beyond his limitations from then, be it by training in intense heat or be it by just taking hit after hit as many times a day as he could.

Some may call him simple-minded, or of a one-track mind, but he was already showing growth that seemed to justify his focus. Drawn to it in particular was Itsuka Kendo, who was his class representative in Class 1-B. This was perhaps out of some kinship, as Kendo did not possess a particularly 'interesting' Quirk herself: while Tetsu could make metal out of his skin, her Quirk granted her strength and size to her hands, both of which appeared wholly mundane when compared to the ability to control fire and ice, create explosions that could destroy an entire room, or even just the ability to go invisible.

The drive displayed by each of them to surpass their prior limits and not be left behind by the current superstars of the freshman class in Class 1-A meant that often Kendo would accompany Tetsutetsu to some training field they received permission to spar in, and they would fight as long as they could to make their simple Quirks more powerful. Sometimes it was not a flashy Quirk that mattered, but rather how one utilized it: this was how one of U.A.'s top students Mirio turned a Quirk that let him fall through the ground and pop back up into one of the most devastating at the entire academy.

"You're really determined, Tetsu, but I can't say I mind: if you want to get stronger I'm always glad to help!"

Giant fists the size of doors slammed again and again into the steel that was Tetsutetsu's skin, and she continued to hit away again and again even as it pained her to contact the alloy that he coated himself with. If her hands were too bloodied and bruised by the end she could have them mended by Recovery Girl the school nurse, and so she fought well beyond what she would typically allow herself to in fear of long-term damage: another hit now might just mean another minute resting later given the properties of Recovery Girl's Quirk, so Class 1-B's representative was willing to sacrifice more of her leisure time if it meant improvement for both her and her friend.

"Redundant-san!"

The grassy training field they were using was one of the many possessed by UA, and Class 1-B had been using it as a group at the end of the day: that was why it was the chosen battleground for the hard-headed fool and his supportive classmate. What this meant however was that soon over the hill nearby the wide field was an approaching horse-person, galloping her way to come see what her classmates were doing.

Tetsutetsu growled as he turned towards Pony, lifting a fist up at her as his battle with Kendo paused, "What did you call me?!"

Pony had in fact meant him, but it was a point of hurt pride that Tetsu lost in the tournament to someone with almost the same Quirk as him: as such her statement that could have been to him _or_ Kendo was instantly taken by the grey-haired boy to be about him. Kendo smirked beside him at how easily he was riled up, but Pony didn't seem to mind (or care) about his hair-trigger-temper.

"That's what student person called you, and is true. Why name Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu? My name not Ponypony Ponypony," the American student giggled as she finished running over to them, standing up to smile at the classmates she had been growing closest with these past months. While Pony had no troubles getting along with anyone really in her class (they seemed to pity and/or like her due to her troubles speaking), she especially got along with the simple minded Tetsutetsu who was in all the extra Japanese classes with her. This was since she was still learning due to being American, and he was there as well because he was...well, fairly dim compared to the ace students attending U.A. (where even the 'jocks' were what would be ace students elsewhere).

Kendo on the other hand was the 'big sister' of the class, which was why they voted her Class Representative, and so she had taken to looking after Pony in class: sometimes something would slip past Pony's comprehension and she would be left in trouble during an exercise, or performing poorly in a class she would otherwise be perfectly fine in, and so Kendo went out of her way to fill in as needed. Their classmate Monoma also offered help to Pony since he cared for Class 1-B as well, but his obsession with competing with Class 1-A saw him recommending Pony say derogatory things about them even when they weren't present...and Pony, not knowing better, would just repeat what she was told.

This time though Kendo wasn't about to correct Monoma or whomever else pointed out Tetsu's name to Pony, who had not really learned the names of her classmates all to well yet due to her language barrier and embarrassment over asking them again and again...embarrassment made worse over the fact she actually spent time with Tetsutetsu and felt guilty over not knowing his full name beyond 'Tetsu'.

That it was actually the same word four times, albeit written in different ways each time, bewildered Pony and she seemed amused by this silly foreign name.

"I think she just realized what your name was," Kendo fought against a smirk, knowing full well the irony of the 'redundant' member of the Hero Course having four of the same name.

Since even Kendo was grinning and Pony didn't mean anything really mean by it Tetsu just sighed and found himself grinning too, once again stumped by the oddity that was their American classmate, "You're a weird one, aren't you Exchange Student?"

Pony smiled at him as she reached into a bag she brought to retrieve some object, giving Kendo time to speak up again.

"Just stay away from Monoma. He's not as bad as he seems, but you could do with some better friends to have."

Due to a general lack of understanding of what Monoma would even have her say, and why others disliked him (his class rivalry went over Pony's head), Pony did not really bother to heed Kendo's warning and instead just finished pulling out a literal explosive.

"Can have help with special project?" Pony asked as she showed off a firework to her classmates, both of whom were confused as to its purpose.

"Are you working on something special for your Quirk?" Tetsu asked her, not getting why Pony would have a firework with her.

Pony shook her head as she made an explosion sound effect and waved her arms around, "Is 4th of July and need help bringing Support Departed explosives to sanctioned explosion area. Six hooves better than two!"

Kendo looked between Pony and the explosive with some concern, not sure that she heard the words 'sanctioned explosion area' correctly, "Wait, run that by me again?"

"Today 4th of July, so American celebrate with big explosions in sky! Fireworks so much fun, and Pony want to do it even though not home!"

_That_ helped explain things a bit more, and it eased Kendo's fears that Pony might accidentally do something like burn down this grass field with some crazy pyrotechnics. The gears of a class representative began turning in her mind, and soon Kendo found herself coming around to the idea of having Class 1-B bond over such a thing.

"Huh, that actually sounds kinda fun. I wonder if we could use anyone's Quirks to make it even more exciting…" still thinking it over, she realized there was an important detail she could not leave out lest they be punished by their teachers, "You have permission for this though, right?"

Pony nodded enthusiastically, having gotten permission from none other than her idol All Might, "Yes, All Might want explosions in air too! Need set up now though so later can make new lights in night sky."

Far be he from his annoyed state earlier, Tetsutetsu soon pumped his arms up in the air and found himself extremely pumped about the idea of lighting up the night sky all on their own.

"This sounds awesome! Let me help and we'll put on a lightshow unlike any U.A.'s ever seen! Where's the stuff you need to move? I can use it as training!"

Pony explained it was all under lock and key with a member of the Support Team, who was bringing it to the exits of U.A. to be ferried over to where the celebration would be. Kendo found herself smiling along with the other two, happy that they could be so into something like this, and quickly went about spreading word to their classmates by contacting their teacher Vlad, who was more than willing to help contact the other students before they left for the day.

"Am thankful, friends!" Pony said as she led the others over towards the main building on campus, grateful she was not going to be lugging it all by herself for now since All Might was busy being a teacher and thus couldn't do it himself.

A different kind of enthusiasm was soon demonstrated by someone else as they reached their destination.

**_"_****_MISS HATSUME, JUST WHAT MAY I ASK ARE THOSE EXPLOSIVES FOR!"_**

A pink haired girl who belonged to the Support Course laughed as the Class Representative of Class 1-A, Iida Tenya, began to scream in extreme alarm over the literal metric ton of explosives and explosive-looking-devices strewn out at an exit of the school.

"Forgot who you are, but you look like a hall monitor! Can I interest you in some of my babies to maybe show students who are disobeying school rules a thing or two?"

**_"_****_THIS IS A REPRIMAND, NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT! JUST WHAT WERE YOU PLANNING!"_**

"Oh, these? We're gonna set them off tonight for the whole school to watch! Wanna join, Robot arms? I love showing off my work!"

Iida continued to scream as his arms motioned in stiff, rigid ways befitting of a stereotypical robot despite him being a 'normal' Human.

_**"**__**MY ARMS ARE NOT ROBOTIC, THAT IS JUST HOW I MOVE THEM AND FURTHERMORE—**_oh, it appears you have the paperwork filled out for these. Very well then, go on your way Miss Hatsume."

Any fury and worry in his tone dissipated as he noticed the mound of paperwork accompanying the contraptions present. Mei Hatsume as she was known was an eccentric girl, and her eyes had lit up when Pony approached her about devising some launching devices and explosives for a spectacular show. At the Sports Festival Mei had humiliated Iida by tricking him into showing off her inventions from the Support Course so she could earn fame for them, though she had forfeited afterwards allowing him to eventually finish third place in the tournament...something about as close to 'kindness' as she likely was capable of in her inventing zeal.

Pony had enjoyed seeing Mei in the tournament since everything about the eccentric technician screamed 'anime character' to the American who grew up loving such programs, and so she remembered her when planning out this day of celebration. Mei for her part had not remembered Pony _existed_, but was eager to show off her inventions ('babies') and fond of creating more for it. In the end they got along as well as someone who didn't remember what day it was or if classes existed could with someone who had trouble speaking their language, so Mei waved excitedly over to Pony as Pony, Tetsu, and Kendo approached.

"Hey Cowgirl, I've got your explosives! Most of this stuff is just failed projects that I was gonna have the scrap, but now it can explode in the sky for everyone to see!"

Pony fawned over the sight of so many future explosions, grateful that someone was willing to do this for her just to help her celebrate a foreign holiday...or rather, so Mei could tinker with even more things than she normally would.

"Fantastic!"

It took Pony a moment though before her ecstatic grinning was replaced by a confused glance as she pointed down to her hooves.

"Am not Cow, am Pony."

Her father had a somewhat Cow Quirk that resulted in Pony's own, but physically outside of the horns Pony was an equine-human, so she was confused if Mei just didn't get that or if her horns were in fact misleading. Pony felt it would be odd to have Ketchup as a nickname if she was a full cow person, especially since she ate hamburgers...a possible identity crisis was soon averted however thanks to Mei explaining herself and the reality of the situation...

And that reality was that Mei just didn't care.

"Same difference!" the cackling Support Course student stated before pointing a thumb back over her shoulder, "I'm going to start prepping the rest, so don't get started without me! I want to see how good these babies perform!"

Tetsu had gone about looking at the fireworks of all kinds, some being store-bought, others being complete inventions of Mei, and all of which intrigued him...especially when combined with a certain Quirk in their class.

"Hey, how about we get Awase to bind some of these things together and then set them off as a giant missile?"

Awase was a student whose Quirk allowed him to meld things together, so hypothetically Tetsu was right that he could string together a slew of fireworks and set them off as one giant explosion.

Whether this was _safe_ or _advisable_ would soon be questioned by Kendo, who looked at her close friend with concern.

"That sounds a bit dangerous…"

"And then we can fire it at me so I can show off how hard my skin has gotten!"

Kendo was about ready to slap some sense into him lest Tetsu commit suicide by firework.

"If my hands can beat you up, a missile will tear right through you. You're not even bulletproof yet, Tetsu."

Pony, not having fully understood a conversation once again, instead pumped a fist in the air and stated her own opinion on the matter.

"Explosions good!"

"See? Pony gets it!"

"Sometimes I forget you guys aren't in Elementary school," Kendo sighed as she realized the childlike glee of her classmates was not just going to go away, "It's too bad that kid with the explosive temper and Quirk isn't in our class…1-A might have an easier time putting something like this together."

As if waiting for the mere mention of Class 1-A to appear, Monoma spilled out of the school to chime in.

"Did someone mention class 1-A? Are these explosives to compete with them in some way?"

Monoma was a dedicated member of class 1-B, of that there was no doubt, and he valued his classmates greatly...he just had become a petty mess since he lost to class 1-A in the tournament, and his Quirk about copying other Quirks temporarily seems to have made its way into his envious personality.

It did however have its uses though.

Kendo smiled as she thought of a way to make her troublesome classmate useful, "Hey Monoma, steal the explosive guy's Quirk for a bit, alright? Pony's putting on a 4th of July celebration and we should do our best to make her feel at home."

With a dramatic flourish Monoma bowed and soon made his exit.

"For the sake of my classmate I will be honored to perform such a task."

Once he was gone Kendo joined Pony and Tetsu in lifting some of Mei's gear, the three working on finding a way to make sure nobody took any of it while also carrying it bit by bit.

"He's only doing it to show off against the other class, but hey, he'll make tonight's show even brighter."

"Thanks Kendo," Pony smiled as she realized things would be easier without Monoma at the moment, since his hammy behavior would get in the way of actually lifting and carrying this stuff, "You are good at class representing, and I'm most thankful!"

They were going to have fun together, and it made Pony not feel quite as lonely as she had that morning when she woke to a holiday from her home that nobody around her even seemed to notice.

A part of her still wondered if Mustard was doing well, but she was confident he would just call her if he ever needed her so she left him to do as he would...all the while hoping that maybe he would be in class 2-B next year.

* * *

Elsewhere, Mustard found himself finally meeting with the League of Villains Giran promised him: it had taken some work, but Giran put in good word for the kid along with the surprisingly friendly 'Twice', and so Mustard found himself standing in a secretive bar nobody seemed to go to...and if they did they likely did not last long.

Behind the bar counter was the shadow of a man named Kurogiri who had been the only one to properly greet Mustard when he entered with Giran and Twice, but his brief polite introduction was left to hang when it didn't seem like any of the other villains present _cared_. The supposed leader, Tomura Shigaraki, was busy playing a video game on a television set up in the corner of the room so he could not be bothered to properly interview Mustard ("Just leave him here Giran, we'll take him, just let me finish this level, alright?").

A girl present by the name of Toga briefly tugged Mustard's mask off to see if he was "Handsome", but after confirming that he was "Pretty good, but not as good as my Stainy" she left him to his own devices and complaints ("Don't touch my mask!"). The mention of a mask drew the attention of someone who called himself Mr. Compress whose apparel was reminiscent of some kind of magic performer, and he gave Mustard a polite yet brief greeting as well as he too showed off a mask of his own.

Despite the relative apathy to his arrival Mustard felt right at home: he was used to being ignored, and these were villains who probably just saw him as some kid. Once he showed what he was worth they would respect him, and that was all he wanted.

"Really Giran? Why'd you bring this damn small fry here? To pick my teeth?"

The arms dealer grinned as a hulking man emerged from elsewhere in the bar to come inspect Mustard, the behemoth being many times the size of even the next largest person in the room and thus far more massive compared to the scrawny Mustard, "I can promise you he will be of use, Muscular...you are more than welcome to test that though, but I would ask that you wait until I leave before you do so."

"Then get the hell outta here, because I don't want some brat getting in our way!"

Mustard retained his calm even as everyone in the room shot their attention to him and the muscled monster now standing before him: Twice was escorting Giran out of the room, Toga seemed excited at the prospect of a handsome boy bleeding, some brooding loner who had charred skin bothered to look up for the first time and acknowledge that Mustard existed, Compress was seemingly amused about however this may play out, and Kurogiri was prepared to break up any unnecessary bloodshed as if he was their nanny.

Tomura was still busy playing his video game, but that actually amused Mustard more than anything: at least he wasn't so bothered by this he was going to tell either of them to stand down, as this was exactly what Mustard had been hoping for. 'Muscular' wasn't a robot, he wasn't someone with natural immunity to poison he was guessing, so for once his Quirk could be used to gain some real respect.

"Time to send you home packing to your mommy, punk!"

That was Muscular's announcement of his intent to strike Mustard, muscle growing upon the large man's body and arms as he utilized his Quirk to empower himself to many times the strength of even a peak athlete.

He took a step before collapsing to his knees and then down completely, Mustard stepping out of his falling path after having emitted his gas quickly. The others in the room (even Tomura) all held their breath for the toxins to die down, forcing some degree of silence as only their breath allowed them to not collapse down pathetically like Muscular.

Even though Tomura's face was covered by some odd discolored hand, Mustard could see a smirk grinning beneath it: he was in, and the boss already liked him. Not enough to stop playing his game, but enough to look over and acknowledge that someone who could fight All Might (not win, but fight without instantly losing) had just been knocked out in a single moment thanks to Mustard's Quirk. That was true power, and amongst a group of villains that meant a great deal more than it did to common civilians.

Compress was the first to speak, his hands clapping as the room's air returned to normal, "Bravo, dear newcomer. A most impressive showing against someone so strong...it makes one wonder if perhaps you and our shadowy friend here could take out All Might himself with a sudden gas attack. Am I right, Kurogiri?"

The shadowy man nodded from behind the bar counter where he began to relax from his previously tense pose: the fight seemed over, so he did not have to step in.

"Yes...if the time comes that we possess his known location we could have the symbol of peace slain in an instant between Tomura Shigaraki, our newest member, and myself."

Mustard found himself truly smiling for the first time in ages: Kurogiri did not appear the sort to exaggerate, so hearing that he possessed the power to possibly take down the world's most famous and powerful Hero _All Might_ was a powerful salve to Mustard's broken ego. The ease with how he was now being accepted, rather than judged, for his Quirk made him instantly appreciate these villains more than he had ever appreciated his peers who had taken so many opportunities to tear him down.

Then he found himself having to lunge out of the way of a barely-conscious Muscular swinging a giant arm his direction: just enough of the gas remained around Mustard's immediate self for him to possess increased sensory capabilities, and so he 'felt' the attack coming before it actually hit or else he may have been killed in a single strike.

Instead he laughed as he drew the cure to his Quirk's flaws: a gun. With it in hand, Mustard spoke up for the first time since he had been brought in and introduced himself to Kurogiri.

"What a stupid brute...you could possess all the power in the world and it wouldn't matter: I'm better than you, and the sooner you accept the fact some 'brat' is your superior the sooner you can learn your place."

Every few words a bullet was pumped into Muscular's half-limp form, and by the end the villain had stopped moving: rather than be caught off-guard by another half-awake strike Mustard contemplated lowering his gun down and firing through his opponent's skull, but a dark portal opened up before his gun and so Kurogiri displayed his warping Quirk. Knowing now that he was not allowed to just simply kill another member, Mustard reloaded his pistol instead and dropped it down to his side.

Twice returned soon thereafter, and he made Mustard smirk smugly to himself as the man spoke.

"Woah, Muscular's down for the count and our newcomer is just beginning to show his stuff!_—__ehhh, how many time's that trick gonna work on somebody, even someone as stupid as Muscles?"_

There was some truth in what he said, but the enthusiasm displayed by someone in seeing his powers was something Mustard could not help but consume like a starving man a meal. It was validation, even if it was validation from another 'villain'...and that was what Mustard considered himself to be now. He had been committing crimes for weeks now, and he was growing more and more accustomed to the idea...while he saw Stain as a bit of a fool, he was certainly right that society was flawed right now and that it needed to change. If he was going to be ignored or if he was going to be humiliated for not being able to be a Hero and train as one, then why not be liberated from the shackles society cast upon him in another way? Being a villain meant doing what he wanted so long as he had the strength to do it, and right now he was not just some Rookie in training to those around him: he was an equal.

The only one who didn't seem to care about Mustard much was the one known as 'Dabi', and he seemed thoroughly unimpressed even as Twice lifted up Mustard's free hand in a victory pose.

"What's your deal?" Mustard quipped, curious why even as everyone else was paying him some degree of respect Dabi seemed devoid of it. By asking he would soon have his answer, as Dabi was willing to finally speak about the new recruit, just one of likely many more to come.

"Look kid, I don't know why someone your age is out and ready to take on the whole world, but I'm not exactly 'big brother' material, so don't go pestering me alright? I'd hate to have to burn such a useful asset."

The casual threat didn't bother Mustard too much, and so he just shrugged it off as everyone went back to doing what they were doing (while leaving Muscular unconscious on the floor). He was still interested in what Dabi's issue was, so he approached him and asked him a blunt question.

"I don't know what your siblings were like, but I'm not just some 'kid'," Mustard shrugged as he sat down by Dabi, easily finding a place in the casual room that seemed to be awaiting Tomura's finishing of his game to actually do anything productive, "I figured you might be interesting to at least talk to since we are in the same boat: neither of us can handle our Quirks, can we?"

Dabi's eyes flashed as Mustard pointed out their obvious similarity: Dabi had burns over his body and what appeared to be staples keeping his skin together, while Mustard could not obviously handle his own gas without his mask. For someone like Mustard who knew well how a Quirk could be a blessing and a curse, it was a simple deduction that Dabi had burned himself...there were reports on the streets of someone with burn marks going around incinerating others, so it didn't take a genius to pair that information up with Dabi after the initial analysis.

Perhaps overconfident from his introduction and defeat of Muscular, Mustard had not yet contemplated the fact that perhaps Dabi might just kill him in response to his statement.

"What was that, _brat?"_

Perhaps Dabi's temper would not flare so much as to take action, but before that could be answered for Mustard it was again Kurogiri to the rescue: he stepped in, appearing beside Mustard and leading him over towards the bar to guide the young teenager away from unnecessary peril wrought from his own pride.

"That is enough, Dabi. Let me handle our newest member for now."

"Whatever you say, Kurogiri. Just keep him out of my hair, alright?"

With that Kurogiri managed to slip Mustard away, explaining in a quiet breath that things are quiet since Tomura 'needs concentration' to finish his game and said he would kill anyone who broke it...but that Kurogiri would stop him if he tried to harm one of the others anyways. Still, everyone seemed content to just wait a few minutes so as to not deal with a cranky Tomura, telling Mustard that perhaps he was a bit more mature than his so-called leader...not that it was saying much.

Kurogiri seemed to be an overseer of some sort who could in a sense overrule Tomura's actions if they proved detrimental, but at the same time despite being more mature and outwardly intelligent Kurogiri was content leaving Tomura in control...he was loyal, like a retainer, and so Mustard felt a bit of respect for the shadow-man who seemed to show everyone with some degree of respect unlike Muscular or Dabi.

Eventually in their whispers Kurogiri returned to the subject of Dabi, who had decided to leave out of boredom while everyone else just waited for Tomura.

"You would be wise to avoid unnecessary conversation with him. Dabi may be willing to work with others, but he loathes unnecessary conversation by all appearances."

While smug, Mustard knew he walked into a viper's den and was in constant danger if he slipped up: he would have to adapt if he were to get by here, as he would not get by on simple respect over his Quirk's power and his willingness to just _shoot_ someone alone, "Alright then, don't poke the fire poodle. Anything else I need to know to not get killed around here?"

"I would recommend not drawing the romantic attention of a certain blood-crazed member...or to displease Tomura for any reason. I will do what I can to look out for you, but you must still be self-sufficient as I will not always be there for you."

Despite being a claim of how Kurogiri would not be over his shoulder each step of the way keeping him above water, Mustard actually felt content and 'safe'. The only one he disliked off the bat was Muscular, since the others had acknowledged him in one way or another, with Toga even calling him handsome...he would have blushed if he had not sensed 'ax-crazy' on her the moment he saw the girl.

Well, that, and the fact he still was nursing a bit of a crush on a certain equine-girl who he had met...it may have only been a day, but Pony and Toga were the only two girls to not outright mistreat him in _years_ among those around his age, so it was easy for the young teenager to feel attracted to the one that didn't give off the 'will kill you and eat your heart' vibe.

After Kurogiri spent a bit of time showing Mustard what was what inside of the bar itself (seemingly taking pride in its upkeeping) the moment everyone had been waiting for came: Tomura let out a childish cheer of success as he beat the level of the game he was playing, and soon the pale man with a hand attached to his face approached the bar to speak his words of wisdom and leadership.

Mustard waited in anticipation as the person he was to call 'boss', the one who had quite nearly killed All Might along with some humanoid abomination and the power of Kurogiri, looked right at him and...

"Do you play video games?"

Mustard blinked beneath his mask as suddenly the entire room's eyes were on him, as if some silently resented the fact that his arrival had sidetracked Tomura even further and others were yet amused.

Still, having been warned to not upset Tomura, Mustard choked out a response to this odd question.

"Y-yes, though I haven't had much practice."

For so long he had been prohibited in how much he could play video games by his 'father'...but now that man was no longer part of his life, so he saw no reason to not indulge himself now.

"Good, then I can show off. Take a controller and let's play...meanwhile, Kurogiri, tell our new friend about what we're thinking of doing. Might take a couple weeks, but I think you'll be quite useful in it..."

It was odd certainly, but the fact that Tomura did not act his age meant that he was more like someone Mustard's own age...and so Mustard found himself smiling still as he stepped over the unconscious Muscular and took a video game controller, officially finding a place among the criminal organization known as the League of Villains.

It was a weird place with weird people, but that didn't matter to him: it felt like a home already, since when was the last time his own family just wanted to play a game with him? Tomura may be creepy, but it was almost like having a friend again.

* * *

"Explosives are such an irrational way to have 'fun'."

Midnight smirked over at where Aizawa joined her on a hill overlooking where Class 1-B were all busying themselves in preparing and launching fireworks into the night sky, their effort led by Pony who Midnight had encouraged run the event. Just because Hobo Ninja (as Midnight called him in her mind) did not like celebrations such as this did not mean that they did not appeal to others though, so she rolled her eyes as the night sky settled in above them.

"Does the National Association of Killjoys pay you by the hour? You have quite the knack for it."

"I volunteer my time."

His voice was slightly humorous, but Midnight could sense an edge to it regardless, so she focused on why she asked him to meet her here tonight.

"So I don't keep you from your napping too long Aizawa, I'll get to the point: did you find what I asked for?"

"Maybe…not really sure why I should give you stolen government documents however."

Aizawa was a real stickler when it came to the law, of that there was no doubt...and yet he had retrieved the documents anyways. Sure he had done it in a tricky manner that skirted the lines of legality, but he was still not happy about it regardless.

"Think of it as repaying a favor: I did help you get a job here in spite of your _totally_ nurturing and warm personality fit for teaching students."

The disheveled homeroom teacher of Class 1-A didn't even bat an eye as he looked Midnight over skeptically, "As you and Hizashi have proven, the bar wasn't that high, and I already paid you back for that anyways: you wanted files for some case, and got me to 'borrow' them with help from Yokumiru given his connections in the government…not sure what good adoption papers are for hunting criminals, but you do you, Nemuri."

Midnight now found herself as the less-humored of the two as she realized Aizawa was going to make this difficult.

"Why obtain this new set of files for me if you didn't intend to give them to me?"

"I haven't taken a look at them just yet, but I do want to know what was so important about them…you seemed quite intent and desperate to obtain them, so you tell me: why are you sneaking around for some files? Is it important to capturing some criminal, or just some fanciful whim of yours?"

Realizing the corner he was pressing her into, what with him possessing a set of documents she desperately craved, Midnight decided to pull out the big guns.

"Fine then, consider it blackmail: you're giving me the files or I am giving Emi your new phone number."

_That_ caught Aizawa's attention, and he seemed to recoil at the prospect...only to then smirk smugly as he realized she couldn't.

"As if you could. I haven't even given it out to anyone yet."

Aizawa prided himself on his logic, and he wasn't wrong: with his set of knowledge Midnight could not know his number to give it to the woman who had been pining after him for the past decade.

With his set of knowledge...not Midnight's.

Midnight smiled smugly, as if she took some joy in revealing this next bit of information like a know-it-all, "Hizashi gave it to me. You made the mistake of letting him borrow your phone, and your coy friend copied the number. And we all know how much our school DJ likes to hear himself talk…"

For as smart as Present Mic could be, both Aizawa and Midnight knew she was telling the truth now: Present Mic would totally copy his best friend's number and give it out to whomever asked, or even if others didn't ask, just because he _couldn't stop talking_.

With this now accounted for, Aizawa realized his position of power in the argument was slipping and he made a hollow threat as Midnight pulled out a phone.

"Don't you dare."

Midnight clicked a button on it, and fortunately for Aizawa it went straight to voicemail: if Emi had picked up he may have had a heart attack.

_"__Hi, this is Emi, but you may know me as Ms. Joke! I'm not available right now, and I've gotten in trouble for leaving prank voicemails, so just leave your message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"_

As the automated machine readied itself to take a message Aizawa again found himself shooting daggers at Midnight to get her to stop this before he had to go and buy another new phone.

"You wouldn't."

Only except she would.

"Hey Emi, it's Nemuri—"

Aizawa grabbed for her phone, stopping the call, and admitting defeat all at once: he wasn't going to physically attack someone over a phone number, but he _also_ didn't want to have to go and buy a new phone...and he didn't want to be sent emoji kissing texts all day every day by Ms. Joke, so he resigned himself to Midnight's whims.

"Never tell her and I'll give you your damn files, okay?"

Midnight nodded, accepting his surrender while holding out a hand for the file she had asked him to retrieve for her, "As nice as it is to make a man grovel and beg, I just want what I asked for to begin with. I figured you would be better at it than me, what with you being better at reconnaissance and stealth missions than I am."

Aizawa pulled out the record from a bag he brought hidden with him, scowling as he handed off the documents contained within for an unknown purpose.

"Here it is…records of some child whose file number I only located thanks to Mera. Between this and the adoption forms…" he gave Nemuri an odd glance that quickly faded away, "Well, it leaves one to wonder. As for our bureaucrat 'friend', are you blackmailing him too? He isn't exactly known for going out of his way to add to his busy schedule."

Pleased to have the documents she could not legally obtain in hand, Midnight just smiled to herself as she opened it up and skimmed to check that everything was there...and once she was sure Aizawa had not pulled anything tricky on her she responded with a joke.

"One could be forgiven for thinking you and sleepy-head were related instead of him and his actual brother," she winked at her friend and coworker who was famous for his grumpy yet ultimately caring attitude, "That being said, I know you're smart enough to piece things together, so part of this favor is keeping quiet about my personal life."

Adoption forms, and a file kept by child services to keep a tab on an adopted child...Aizawa may have had the decency to not look inside, but they left some very obvious questions in the air when these two favors spaced across many years came together seemingly.

"As if you have ever respected the personal lives of others," he scoffed, though not saying he would spill her 'secret'. He was obviously referring in this instance to her recent threat of calling Emi, who he seemed adamant about not hearing from...rather than just blocking her he seemed most comfortable not thinking about his fellow Hero he once worked right next door to. In Midnight's experience that meant someone was in denial, but with Aizawa it was always so hard to tell...

"You know you and Emi _are_ cute together, right? They do say opposites attract, and every comedian needs their straight man."

"If opposites attract what is it with you and Mera's brother? From what I hear he teased one of my students exactly like you would have."

Midnight blushed as she thought about the literal only relationship she had ever managed to possess...an ironic fact when one compared her mundane personal life to the flashy one she led and pretended to have as a Hero. As sensual as she acted, she wasn't the sort to just bring a man home every night despite being able to...her friends chalked it to her on and off relationship going on a decade and a half now, while Nemuri denied that she had any issues at all and that she was perfectly fine enjoying the company of one man now and again whenever they both had time...something that was increasingly sparing in recent years.

"She just needs to come to terms with her feelings and then her mentors won't have to tease her so much," Nemuri stated, deflecting the subject from her own love life and onto Aizawa's student.

"You just described a few of my students, and I won't have you pestering them about silly things like romance so don't."

Once Midnight got something in her mind she tended to be quite passionate about it, so Aizawa was just taking proper precautions to not have her 'shipping' his class as he knew she had done with previous others...though he was not entirely certain he would win this war in the end. Students had class to focus on and romance was a distraction in his eyes.

"How do you know it is silly if you haven't ever tried it?" Nemuri winked as she returned the subject to him, "Maybe you just associate someone you think romantically about with silliness, and thus feel it is a farce?"

Rather than entertain the idea that he was secretly in love with Ms. Joke, Aizawa instead turned around and got ready to leave as fireworks began to the air above them and light the night sky with numerous colors (but primarily red, white, and blue).

"I'm going to bed. You have your file, so I'm going to go and forget we ever had this conversation…theft is still theft, heroes or not, so I expect you to make sure those files return to their proper home."

Nemuri let him go as she stood out in a sweatshirt and skirt, enjoying the sight above her as she held her file to her chest. She needed time to build up to actually opening it, and so just let herself enjoy the moment rather than linger on any thoughts of Aizawa...something helped by his exact opposite All Might arriving at the celebration down at the base of the hill, his loud booming voice resulting in cheers from the gathered whole of Class 1-B.

**_"_****_Explosions are here!"_**

At his entrance a firework that on its own seemed to somehow cover all of U.A.'s campus in bright light erupted, and with it accompanied Pony pumping her arms up and yelling out.

**_"_****_America, fuck yeah!"_**

Wearing an event-appropriate outfit in the form of a USA flag-patterned bikini to enjoy the warmth of the summer night, Pony was leading her class in the festivities right up until that moment when Monoma began to laugh and Kendo slapped him.

"Monoma, what did I tell you about telling Pony to say bad words! This is the fourth time this semester!"

"What? She's having fun!"

Midnight let the children all watch their fireworks and have fun as she sat down and just listened to the booms and crackles of the fireworks and other goodies prepared by Mei. A certain tenseness was balling up in Nemuri's stomach as she held her file against her still, and so lost was she in the ambient noise of the festivities that Nemuri did not even notice Pony approach her and sit down as well.

Reacting to Pony's sudden presence, Nemuri flashed a grin over at the girl who seemed exhausted from being the hype-girl for the explosive event, "How is it going, Pony? Is it everything you wanted?"

"I haven't seen fireworks like this before! So many colors and explosions!" Pony said in some awe and wonder, her large eyes peering up to the sky above as it all still continued, "I miss family, but class made me feel better since am not alone."

_Alone..._

"Is Miss Midnight alone?"

Nemuri blinked out of her thoughts as she turned back to her student, who seemed to have picked up on Midnight's forlorn look.

Pony might not be able to speak perfectly in Japanese, but she was still perceptive and intelligent: she just did not sound like it.

With a shrug Midnight cast aside some of her doubts for the sake of the girl sitting beside her, even bringing a hand up to Pony's shoulder to help sell her message, "No…not quite. I have you, and all of my other wonderful students after all."

The American girl nodded, accepting the explanation even if it was not exactly a complete one: she knew better than to press so far into a teacher's personal life. Instead, Pony decided to focus on her Midnight-chosen dress for the night.

"Thanks for help with Pony outfit. Only American clothes I can find are All Might stuff, and today is America day, not All Might day. Many boys blushing today too!"

Nemuri grinned at her particular contribution to the event even if she had not been there quite in person. It was true that almost all the American clothing these days was just something All Might related, so when Nemuri had been preparing to go out on a date and saw something that screamed 'America, fuck yeah!' the way Pony just had she couldn't help herself but buy it for her student. Pony had been complaining she had nothing to wear, and since part of the event was everyone playing by a lake on the campus it was just perfect in Midnight's eyes.

"Any catch your eye?" Midnight winked, somewhat teasing Pony.

"Nuh-uh. I'm waiting for my special somepony…still fun dressing up though, and better for lake than Hero Clothes!"

Midnight laughed at her student's response even as she let out an internal sigh of relief...her sense of when others had chemistry was usually quite correct, and since she wanted Hiroto to come to U.A. she was hoping that Pony might still be single then. After all, how cute would it be to have someone nicknamed Ketchup and someone nicknamed Mustard together? That was precious in Midnight's eyes and even though she was fully willing to encourage Pony to show off her beauty, she still hoped that perhaps Pony could get together with her first friend in Japan.

"That's the spirit!"

Smiling in return, Pony blushed as she contemplated the subject of romantic interests.

"Miss Midnight must have had many boysfriends."

After weighing her options a bit, Midnight came to a decision and whispered towards Pony as they both watched more fireworks explode.

"If you can keep a secret, I'll tell you just how many."

Pony nodded, and so Midnight told her.

"Just one...I was a bit older than him when we went to school, but we've kind of been together all these years. We've been apart for a long time, but we always come back together even for just a bit, and that's just fine with me...being a Hero is busy work, and it's hard to balance it with a social life sometimes."

Pony seemed in awe at this revelation that Midnight, the 18+ Hero, had only ever been in a single relationship...but as Nemuri continued it all began to make more sense.

"Being with someone you love is important, and so I have always seen it as a quality over quantity thing. So long as you are with someone who makes you feel special, the rest is kind of trivial."

Nemuri brought a hand over to Pony and ruffled the hair atop her head, "You're still young though, so do what you think is right for you. I'm only me after all, and by no means a perfect role model, so live your life with the passion you seek in it so you can find your own happiness, okay?"

It took her a moment, but Pony soon smiled and leaned in to hug her teacher.

"Thank you Miss Midnight...U.A. makes me happy, as do friends, and teachers," leaning back to how she initially sat, Pony readied herself to get up, "Want to come join us? We have much fun, and the root beer and pool toys in river-lake thing."

...

"Alright then, I will Pony. Just give me a moment to do something and I'll be right down after you."

Encouraged, Pony left to go rejoin her class (who were now jokingly calling her 'Miss USA') while her teacher continued to sit on the hill awhile longer, Nemuri slowly working on summoning the courage to read the file which began with the name 'Hiroto'.

Depending on its contents she would soon need to blank her mind with the joy and exuberance displayed by her students below, or she could rejoice and let a weight lift from her shoulders she had been holding for years.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to ****Kevin, Hinatayvonne, and John Prodman for your reviews last chapter, ****and I hope you continue to enjoy!**

**Thank you for reading, and if you have any thoughts please let me know in the reviews below!**


	6. Sense of Peace

**Chapter 6: Sense of Peace**

* * *

_"Mera, **please **tell me you're joking."_

_"Sorry Nemuri, I just caught wind of it myself. Things are getting busier and busier these days here, or I'd have found out and told you sooner..."_

_"What do you mean Hiroto's foster-father is **dead **though? What happened?"_

_"Apparently, according to his widow, someone broke into their home one night and killed him using some kind of disintegration Quirk..."_

_"Not only has Hiroto been missing for weeks, now you tell me that the League of Villains may have something to do with it?"_

_"I wish I could tell you more, but no-one knows anything...I'm sorry."_

_"It's not your fault..."_

_"Nor is it yours, Nemuri...I know you're worried, but we're already looking for him as best as we can. The police are not being the most cooperative given the circumstances, but I will keep my ear open and let you know the moment I hear anything else. Just don't do anything rash, okay? We don't even know where the League of Villains are..."_

* * *

"I _do _not like this...it's so not cute."

Mustard did not particularly like Toga, but that did not mean he held a particular disdain for her either: he saved that feeling for others more deserving of it, like some certain _other_ members of their little group...not to mention his peers growing up, his adoptive family, and anyone else who had ever looked down on him.

Today that all would change though: the reason Toga was whining was that she was wearing a gas mask to prevent her from being incapacitated by Mustard's gas during their first official mission as the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains. The plan, which had been put together by Tomura and Kurogiri, was simple: to strike fear into the hearts of Heroes and the society which worshiped them the Vanguard was to kidnap one of U.A.'s top students. By taking him during a training camp run by U.A. and some other Pro Heroes they would not just prove that no-one was untouchable, but that even the most prestigious school of all could not keep its students safe.

Tomura didn't seem to want to _kill_ the captive, since the goal was to recruit the winner of the U.A. Sports Festival after bringing him in for a 'chat', but that didn't mean that there would be no bloodshed...chances were the students and teachers would fight back, and so that was where Mustard came in: the forest that Class 1-A and 1-B were training in was a perfect setting for his gas to be unleashed. Sure he could not cover the entirety of this wide rural landscape, but he didn't have to since there were others on the mission as well.

He just would have to keep an eye out for Pony...but he would cross that bridge when it happened. For now he didn't want to listen to Toga whine about fashion the entire time they lay in wait.

"They were engineered for the black market from what I hear...you should be worried that they work, not that they look pretty."

His words seemed to at least somewhat silence her complaints, as while she did still wave her arms around like a petulant child she did at least drop the subject after her next little bout of whining.

"Uuugh, I'm just saying they could be a little more stylish! Is that too much to ask?"

Soon after the others started milling in on the ledge from which Mustard and Toga were watching the training camp down below, their presence hidden in plain sight as the night sky grew darker. The next to arrive was someone by the name of Magne, a newer recruit than Mustard who he didn't quite know yet, but since their Quirk was just some odd kind of magnetism he didn't quite care about them...they were quite possibly one of the least useful members on the team when compared to the likes of Mustard, Muscular, or Dabi. Even Toga could shapeshift and infiltrate whoever they fought, while Twice could make replicas of others...Magne could pull things towards or away from them or something like that.

"Hiii Darlings, sorry to keep you waiting."

Right behind Magne came Moonfish, a convicted serial killer and cannibal who had been freed by the League of Villains to assist in the mission. While insane, he did appear dedicated to doing his job...a job he was apparently quite good at since his tooth-Quirk allowed him to extend and even battle with his teeth alone. As an A-ranked Villain he was definitely going to be useful.

"Get to work...get to work..."

Dabi and the failed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle named Spinner came as well while Muscular made his way to the front, nearly completing their little group for the night.

"That makes seven of us," Dabi says, only for Muscular to whine in his own way.

"I don't care, just let me loose! I'm too pumped up to stand by..."

The fire-Quirk Villain sounded almost pleased to tell their muscle-bound comrade to stick a sock in it, "Shut your mouth you crazy bastard...we wait. We're still expecting three more people to join our little party. The League of Villains made a mistake going after them with a bunch of random thugs in the USJ...better to use a small group of elites."

Hearing that made some of the nerves going through Mustard's body fade away...the very concept of being considered an 'elite' rather than some useless kid whose Quirk was actually just too powerful to be used made him feel like he was at home here, and he had to admit he was growing fond of this odd little group even if he couldn't stand Muscular or that self-righteous Stain-worshiper Spinner. Playing games with Tomura, spending time with Kurogiri at the bar (not that he was drinking), and just talking to Twice about their histories and the traumas they have faced actually gave Mustard the sense that he was in a family for once.

Sure he knew they were using them, but he was using them in his own way, and that was what it meant to be a loyal band of villains it seemed...everyone was getting something different out of it, and for him it was the validation he had never received anywhere else.

If keeping that sense of validation meant fighting the students he had grown to resent for their good fortune of being able to pass an arbitrary test, then he would...even if it did mean perhaps running into a girl he couldn't stop thinking about ever since she had the basic decency to treat him like any other person.

"The first thing we have to do is take away their sense of peace and show them that their lives rest in our hands."

Hanging at the back of the group, Mustard held onto his air-canister backpack and steeled himself: this was going to be his time to shine, and he was not going to fail what could very well be considered the Villain Entrance Exam like he had the U.A. one.

After all, at this point what else did he have but this growing sense of camaraderie or his growing bile towards the Hero society that had cast him aside?

* * *

_"Boss, can I ask a favor concerning the mission?"_

_Tomura was quite whimsical, so on a 'good' day Mustard sought him out about the upcoming mission their group was about to undertake._

_"You can ask me anything you want...doesn't mean I'll answer, or have the one you want if I decide to, but you always can try," Tomura responded without even looking away from the video game he was setting up._

_Given permission to bring up his concern, Mustard pressed onward, "There is a list of students that you have given us permission to kill, or rather are priority targets...I would like to ask that a student not on the list instead be given the opposite treatment: I would rather she not come to any harm if at all possible."_

_Now that earned a glance from Tomura, who narrowed his eyes at Mustard as if to either observe or leer at him._

_"You got a girlfriend at U.A.? That could have been useful for gathering intel you know..."_

_The implication made Mustard blush, knowing full well that he carried some form of feelings for Pony but also knowing that soon enough there was going to be about a zero percent chance he could ever realize them._

_"It's nothing like that...I just met her when I took the entrance exam there, and would rather she not die," Mustard choked out while passing the minimal file the League of Villains possessed on her to Tomura to look at. They had been gathering what intel they could on the students to know who was a threat or not, and so Mustard had made certain to grab hers when he could._

_"Pony Tsunotori..." passing the file back, Tomura nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and didn't seem to care at all about the issue, "Her Quirk's not that interesting, so I haven't given her much mind. Don't really care if she's alive, but if one of my companions wants her to live I guess she can..."_

_A heavy weight that had been resting upon Hiroto's shoulders lifted in that moment, and his stomach untied itself from the knot it had been in at hearing he could ensure Pony's safety so long as she did not pose a risk to the plan, "Thank you. I promise you won't regret this."_

_Tomura was not done speaking though, his voice still nonchalant as he returned to setting up his video game, "It'll be your job to keep her out of the way somehow. Knock her out, knock her up, I really couldn't care less, just don't let her be a problem during the mission. Whatever trouble she causes is on you, or else what would I be paying you for?"_

_Fighting off a blush at Tomura's flippant response, Mustard couldn't help but snark at the most recent part of it, "You don't pay me."_

_"Sorry, allow you to **live** for. Now go away, this is a single-player RPG I'm playing, I don't need you to play Support today."_

_With permission granted, Mustard felt the need to go thank Twice for suggesting he bring the matter up with Tomura...for villains they were shaping up to not be all too bad in his eyes._

* * *

"Now...it begins. Take them down, those who believe they deserve the title 'hero'...we, the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains will tear them off their pedestals."

With those words Dabi announced the beginning of their mission, having waited for when the students of U.A. and their teachers would be at their laxest. Just because only two teachers from U.A. had come did not mean they were defenseless from the gathering of villains, as there were Pro Heroes assisting in the training as well who were also of note.

Those Pro Heroes protecting them would be the 'Wild Pussycats', or something along those lines...the name was so ridiculous that Mustard could not take them seriously as a group. While his could perhaps be mistaken for a food condiment, _their _name was as brazen as Midnight _acted_...and according to reports some of their behavior was not much different.

Magne and Spinner would deal with the catgirls who wouldn't be out of place in some maid cafe, Dabi and Twice would deal with the teachers Eraserhead and Vlad King, Mustard would knock out as many people as he could from Classes 1-A and 1-B, and the others like Compress would search for the target...

For some reason on the team there was a giant monster called a Noumu that has chainsaws embedded in its body, but Dabi assured Mustard that it wasn't going to be an issue. Mustard was not entirely certain about that since it seemed as intelligent as Muscular, but if it even got _near_ Mustard or Pony it would be knocked out immediately or shot. That mask it had could be destroyed quite easily after all, so Mustard was fairly confident he could take the green beast with all its limbs that had chainsaws (and a hammer) protruding from them like some C-tier movie villain.

Everyone had their own job to do though, and for Mustard it was perhaps the easiest...all he had to do was walk right up to them in the forest and unleash his poisonous fog for all the students to breathe in.

He hated disappointing those who had faith in him, and he was entrusted with this task, so Mustard let the poison seep from his body and make its way into the surrounding area.

Soon enough all the students would be falling asleep before they even knew what hit them...then they could catch Bakugo and make their way out via Kurogiri at the designated time and area. Mustard just had to last until then and he will have proven his worth to not just the Villains that have accepted him with open arms, but also to everyone who had spurned him until now.

While he was quite certain he was stronger than most of the students he was going up against, Mustard also was well aware of the fact that they have been through their first term at UA already: by now they will have likely improved from where they were at in the entrance exam, and likely even learned tactics to use in combat situations. They were not to be wholly underestimated...but that did not mean that Mustard himself was any less powerful.

Preliminary details on the students showed that only a couple could prove any real threat to him, specifically the class president of Class 1-A who managed to get third place in the Sports Festival thanks to his super-speed. The brother of one of the heroes Stain brutalized, the boy named Iida could run through the gas and possibly knock Mustard out in a single moment so long as he knew where to aim...he also could run out of the gas and get fresh air unlike those without super speed.

Other notable threats were Shoto Todoroki (the son of the number two hero Endeavor), the target for the mission Bakugo, and some girl named Yaomomo. Todoroki could prove a threat since he did not need to enter the gas to send glaciers of ice through it...not to mention how he could be just like Dabi and burn through it with literal firepower. Bakugo on the other hand could fly using his explosive Quirk, thus rising above of propelling out of the gas while being able to attack Mustard from afar. The girl Yaomomo though? She could create things...and if she knew how to make a gas mask hypothetically Mustard's entire Quirk could be negated.

It wasn't that big a deal to him though: this was exactly why he brought his gun and plenty of ammunition. He was not going to go out hunting students, but if they attacked him he wasn't going to refrain from defending himself. Sure he was going to be the one technically starting the fight, but the goal of the mission was to sew discord in the fabric of Hero society by giving them a good scare and converting one of their most promising young students.

His job was basically to sit tight, and he didn't _need_ to really do anything more...but after having asked Tomura to spare Pony it would be pointless if he didn't bother ensuring that fact.

Hiroto tried not to think about the fact that in mere moments his poison gas would likely hit her and knock Pony out, poisoning her of all people...but if it meant she wouldn't be fighting Dabi or Muscular then maybe it was for the best that she was unconscious.

Everyone else was likely blinded by the purple fog filling the air now, but Mustard could 'sense' his surroundings just fine. It would be awfully embarrassing if he walked into a tree or tripped over a bush he didn't see coming...the fog was thickest right around him so it was fortunate that his Quirk allowed him to actually feel things via the fluctuations in his gas.

_Now, just where is she..._

* * *

For Class 1-B the sudden onset of the purple mist had been impossible to see coming or to counter: they collapsed one after another as most of them did not know what was happening before it was too late.

Things were different though for Pony though, having seen this exact mist once before...it was enough for her to hold her breath even as members of her class collapsed down around her, but it was not some deep breath...no, it was a quick inhalation of air in panic at seeing poison gas surround her just like during the U.A. entrance exam.

Her thoughts immediately went to Mustard, but she ignored them just as fast: why would he be here after all? Why would he be using his Quirk on others? It didn't make sense...but then again neither did the sudden onset of poison gas. Was this perhaps a test from Vlad-teacher? It seemed to be mostly in the area 1-B was in after all...

Still, she was not ready for this and so she found herself about to run out of air...and since this was most likely some kind of test she felt somewhat fine in just allowing herself to get knocked out. It was certainly better than starving her brain of oxygen after all, since while she might fall asleep she could always do some remedial training for having been caught off-guard...she just wished she had been able to react in time so she could fly above the poison without risking falling from her horns and harming herself.

She had tried to walk out of the poison from the moment of its onset so she could get help, but it had spread too far and she couldn't make it. Instead she took in a small breath and felt the toxic air begin to make her drowsy, but at least her brain would be spared from any damage caused by holding her breath too long. She leaned against a tree, slowly feeling her senses numb as she fell first to her knees, then to the side as her body slumped into the form of the tree.

Her eyes began to flicker shut, and Pony let her mind wander to her classmates and if any of them had escaped the mists...maybe some of the ones farther from her like Kendo did, and she could always rely on her class representative to look after her.

Yeah, Kendo would fix everything...

* * *

_"Pony..."_

_"You're one of the only people who's ever given me the time of day, so even though we're here as enemies I'm not going to hurt you."_

_"When you wake up someone from your grade will be missing, a few people may have some bruises or broken bones, and everything else will be fine..."_

_"You know, you look good in a gas mask...not that you can probably hear me or anything, I just am talking to myself at this point. I've got a pretty boring job today if I'm honest, but hey, at least now I can show U.A. just how strong my Quirk really is!"_

_"I was envious you know...you got in and I didn't. I know it's maybe a bit petty, but I knew if I bothered calling you I'd just resent the fact you could go to U.A. while I was stuck at some nobody's school..."_

_"You got to have Midnight as a teacher...All Might too, who I know you look up to even if he is a bit milquetoast as far as Quirks go..." "Who wouldn't feel envious of that?"_

_"Too late now though, right? I've made my choices..."_

_"Thank you, Pony...you're the only person I've ever really been able to call a friend. I hope we don't end up having to fight someday..."_

_It was an odd dream to have, but Pony slept easily at the thought of Mustard perhaps giving her a mask again now...he was nice like that after all. Her mind was just playing tricks on her and trying to piece together the familiar gas with the person who did it before, even if it made no sense for Mustard to actually be here._

_..._

_Right?_

* * *

Mustard wandered back into the depths of the forest once he was certain Pony was safe and had the spare gas mask he prepared for tonight securely over her face, not wanting to be caught too close to the unconscious members of Class 1-B. He had not seen as many as he originally expected, so chances were some had escaped him...but that was really no matter. He just had to protect himself, just as he had gone out of his way to make sure Pony was fine.

He could have bothered to make gas masks for the other members of the team, but Twice and Compress (the two he was growing to like) were not going to be in danger of his gas given where they were stationed in the forest so why bother? Toga had a mask as did Muscular since they might come across Mustard's gas in their particular pieces to the mission, but whether they fell unconscious or not really wasn't something Mustard cared about.

Muscular had taken to threatening him ever since he joined the League of Villains thanks to their first meeting, and Toga was dangerous to be around as well so if they could be captured tonight it would not really break Mustard's heart...Toga could be sweet, but her general psychopathic nature made him wary of even sharing a room with her at times.

The other members of the League he liked weren't even here, those being Kurogiri and Tomura, so he left the acquiring of gas masks to the others rather than use his time and resources to make new ones. Pony was deserving of one though so she could sleep in peace without being further poisoned, as Hiroto knew he would not forgive himself if she were to come to any true harm.

Now all he had to do was run out the clock as his allies searched for Bakugo, and then he could go back 'home'...or rather the bar he had taken to spending all his time in. Things were going fairly smoothly so far from what he could tell, and he had not even had to use his gun yet...but all good things come to an end, and soon Mustard looked around as he felt something within his gas.

"Three...no, two people are headed straight for me. I guess a few of them avoided my gas and realized I'm here, I should have expected that from a prestigious school."

He could feel them approaching him like he had felt the machines in the U.A. entrance exam...he could feel the two students separate and begin coming towards him from different directions...and he knew that in just a moment he was going to have to defend himself.

"But then...no matter how wonderful their Quirks may be..."

Mustard pulled out his pistol right as someone leaped through the thickest part of the fog swirling around him, their body positioned to strike him in the very next moment.

**_"I found you!"_**

Effortlessly Mustard turned around and took aim with his pistol, firing right at the gas mask he felt on their body.

"...they're still only Human."

The shot shattered the mask and stunned its owner, revealing to Mustard the steel-skinned student he had seen in the Sports Festival...he had gotten to the final round and was one of the top participants from across the school, so he was not someone Mustard could just ignore.

It seemed they did manage to get their hands on some gas masks thanks to that Momo person...that was just peachy thanks to the girl with 'peach' in her name, but Mustard set aside his frustration at being countered thanks to his smug satisfaction that he just disabled Tetsutetsu's mask in a single shot.

He had felt the older boy's skin composition, metal moving through his gas differently than simple skin, so he had figured out who it was instinctively and aimed for where he _could_ do damage: the device allowing Tetsutetsu to wade through his poison without passing out.

"Ahhh, I saw you on TV during the sports festival. You can make your skin hard! That means you're bullet proof!"

Mustard was quite pleased with himself as his opponent recoiled from the shot, grabbing at his face to try and stop from inhaling any of the gas. Mustard could afford to take his time with this U.A. student he felt, as while his bullets would be mostly ineffective his opponent also couldn't risk being shot too much lest he gasp in _some_ kind of pain...even metal could be damaged by a bullet after all, even if it might take a bit of work.

"Ehhh, that doesn't really matter...because now it's just a matter of how long you can hold your breath in this toxic miasma."

Mustard could feel the other student, a girl, approaching him from a different direction and so took a moment to just feel out the area around him...it would not do to just let them catch him off-guard with a sneak attack, and he had basically neutralized one of them already so he would just play it safe for now.

Every moment that passed was one closer to extraction...but Mustard soon found himself having to act again towards Tetsutetsu when the steel-skinned student ran right towards him with one fist drawn to punch as his other hand covered his mouth and nose. All it had taken was one shot before to destroy Tetsu's gas mask, so Mustard had plenty of ammo left to deter any such reckless charges.

Shooting Tetsu head-on, Mustard blasted him backward to give himself some breathing room...he was not invulnerable after all, so he would just do what he had to in order to keep this foolish foe at bay.

"What? Do you think you're the Terminator? Even if you can steel yourself, charging straight in is a fool's move," Mustard mocked Tetsutetsu, pointing to his own head in a demeaning manner to emphasize the point, "Shouldn't you be smarter if you go to UA? Don't be so rash...use your head..."

The other student, the girl, was just about ready to strike him...and so Mustard moved his gun over to point at her instead.

He didn't know what her Quirk was just yet, but he would be damned if he let these U.A. students beat and humiliate him.

"Or you're not worth killing."

In a mad dash Tetsutetsu leaped in the way of Mustard's next shot, protecting the girl at the cost of being shot again himself.

_**"Tetsutetsu!"**_

"It's no good! Retreat!"

They certainly seemed close...Mustard had to wonder if maybe they were friends the way he had been with Pony. She had run into danger to protect him after all, just like Tetsu had done for this girl now...he was so used to derision and neglect that it was odd to him that people could do things like that.

Right now though they were his enemies, trying to beat him just as he was trying to hurt them...he would have shot her mask off too and neutralized them both if not for Tetsutetsu's diving save of the girl, but it was no matter. That shot had actually made Tetsutetsu _bleed_...his armor was softening and soon enough he would just have to collapse down on the ground like all of his classmates.

Encouraged by this, Mustard continued to gloat as he turned his head derisively away from them, "Hahahahaha, two against one and you're banking on a surprise attack! What a simple plan, I expected better...I'm producing and controlling this gas, yes, but that's not all. The gas is showing me your movements with its fluctuations! In other words you can't hide from me."

He released more poison as he said this, flooding the area with purple mist that would obscure their vision. Just because he was confident in his chances of beating them didn't mean he wanted to make himself an easy target after all...and he could feel them looking around in the mists to try and figure out just where he was.

It was really pathetic in Mustard's eyes that he could take out an entire class of students and humiliate these two with a simple firearm...he had at least thought in part that those who went to U.A. were good students who deserved to be there even if it was only because their Quirks could destroy machines, but now he was losing faith in that fact. They were not geniuses, they were not skilled really in combat, and they were losing a two on one fight...he even had to boast about his Quirk since they were stumbling so blindly through it that it made him almost pity them even as he mocked their ignorance.

"You arrogant U.A. students...why didn't you figure that out, huh? You're shattering the image I had of your school, what a shame..."

Because of his talking though Tetsutetsu seemed to pick up on where Mustard was, charging in towards him once again as if he was some unstoppable machine in a horror-action film. Just as Mustard's own vocalizations revealed his positions, Tetsu's growling roar as he approached only helped Mustard pinpoint where he was already expecting Tetsutetsu to be in the mists: in the very next moment he fired a round right into the metal-man's head at point blank range, sending Tetsu reeling as the impact forced him to the ground.

**_"Moron!"_**

Unable to see Mustard once again, and still recovering from the fact he had just been shot in the head, Tetsutetsu tried to gather his bearings even as he continued to hold his breath and suffocate himself. It was only a matter of time until he would collapse, and so Mustard would help that process along to be done with this farce.

"What's this? You seem softer than you were earlier. Let me guess, maybe metal fatigue? Or is it because you can't breathe anymore? How many more shots can you take? Brace yourself for another..."

The next shot left Tetsutetsu hunched over on the ground instead of just on one knee as he had been a moment before, the pain of both suffocating and being shot repeatedly beginning to set into his body. He wanted to fight for his classmates, to protect Kendo...but it was growing harder and harder with each passing second.

"Don't they usually do endurance tests for people like you who have simple, one-note Quirks? And yet you still rush in like you're indestructible..."

Tetsutetsu could only cover his head as he was shot again, only holding together due to sheer willpower at this point rather than any innate gift of his Quirk. It was with this shot however that Mustard realized he needed to reload his pistol, and so he paused his attempt to break Tetsu in order to re-arm himself.

"Hey, you guys want to grow up to be Heroes, right? Something about that is so strange to me..." Mustard admitted, not really understanding the mindset behind it...it was just so foreign to his upbringing that he couldn't quite grasp it. Even his adoptive father had not shed light into why someone would want to be a police officer, so Mustard was genuinely curious and confused by the whole prospect. If it meant getting shot at like this then whoever would want to be a Hero?

Shooting his target again, Mustard felt some of his anger at U.A. itself rise up within him. Of course people would want to be Heroes if they got to be in all the spotlight...to be told they were special, that they were amazing, that they _mattered_. In that way Mustard could maybe understand the prospect...but just because he could remember his own reasons for once trying to be one of those attending U.A. did not mean it made him any less bitter that his failure to get in sent him on the downward spiral he had embarked upon.

"For people to fawn over someone like you...a one trick pony, just because of where you went to school!"

Three more shots into Tetsu's arm began to crack the metal skin there, showing that slowly but surely the U.A. student was going to hit his limit and collapse...but such was Mustard's frustration that he felt the urge to get at least a little physical, stepping forward and even kicking his opponent in the stomach.

**_"That's what's wrong with this world!"_**

It was not as if Mustard had metal boots on, so he _felt_ the pain as his flesh and bone collided with steel...but he didn't quite care, instead growing satisfied with the fact that he sent Tetsutetsu tumbling over with the kick.

Hiroto had never been the strongest physically thanks to being scrawny, but perhaps he wasn't the weakest kid around either, or so he now thought...

As Tetsu tried to weakly recover from the strike Mustard shot at him again, gladly observing as the boy began to quiver and show signs that he was ready to pass out finally...but before Mustard could see it through to the end he felt the girl return to the battle and swipe at him with one hand.

_"Stop!"_

She was crying out desperately, trying to save her fellow classmate who had protected her...how sweet and sentimental, but if she was going to get in the way she was just going to become a target again. Mustard would aim for her mask, but if he missed (which he rarely did in his mists) he doubted she would be as durable as Tetsutetsu was...

Mustard scoffed at her pitiful attempt to strike him, having felt her approach and been able to swiftly dodge to the side of her strike, "I told you, I can tell exactly how you're moving thanks to the flow of the gas—"

And that was when he was shown what this particular student's Quirk was: the ability to enlarge her hands to such a degree that even though he completely dodged her attack she _still_ hit him as her hand widened and collided with him. He was grateful that even though her hand hit his mask it did not damage it, but he did still cough in pain as his head rang from the strike.

_"I don't give a damn if you know where I am!"_

Mustard was fast enough on his feet to avoid a follow-up attack, leaping back into another part of his fog to keep his distance now that he knew she had greater reach than he anticipated...it was humiliating to him to have been struck by such a _stupid_ Quirk, but he wasn't going to just let her manhandle him. He would shoot that mask of hers off and be done with this once and for all...

"I can't believe you think you'll win with that pitiful Quirk..."

He could feel her other hand enlarge as well, and right as Mustard regained his footing and could take aim he found that she was slapping those dumb hands of hers around in front of her...something that would look pathetic if not for the fact that _she was whipping the air and mists around as a result from sheer force._

"Whether it's pitiful or not completely depends on how I use it! I can still stop you!"

As powerful gusts of wind slammed into him Mustard, forcing him to brace himself lest he be knocked away by them and left defenseless. Her Quirk was _so stupid, pathetic, absolutely _**_pitiful_**, and yet she was stopping him from attacking with it! She was whipping his mists up into little typhoons, slapping him with the air itself, and all of this _because her hands were large._

**_"Just how much power do those stupid hands have!?"_**

Still slapping her hands in front of her one after another, the girl with orange-ish hair continued to destabilize Mustard even as he fought for control of his own body against the winds now slamming against him.

"You're pathetic! Carrying a gun around in that dumb uniform is basically saying you know you can't win a fight on your own merits!"

Not about to be beaten by some wind, Mustard fought through it to lift his gun up and aim it her way...not that he could get a clear shot at her mask, which he was desperately trying to aim for.

_"You little..."_

As he took aim Mustard kept feeling the gun shift an inch left, right, up down, the gale he was faced with whipping him again and again even as he tried to shoot the final bullet he would need to end this fight. He just needed another moment to steady himself, get a feel for the constant shifting, and then he could take his shot...

"This is for those at U.A. who have a one track mind..."

At the mention of a 'one track mind', Mustard was instantly reminded of Tetsutetsu's utterly stupid charging into battle...and in that moment realized that he could now feel someone approaching him from behind. Turning to the side, Mustard realized that his reliance on his gas to sense the movements of his enemies may have been an advantage earlier when visibility was so low, but now it was a disadvantage because the mists around him had been partially dispelled.

Tetsutetsu was hurtling towards him and he couldn't turn in time to shoot him instead.

_The gas got thinner so I didn't realize—_

"Because when everyone else is ready to give up..."

Right at that moment a metal fist clipped his cheek, Tetsu's fist and body colliding with him as the metal Quirk user quickly broke Mustard's gas mask and slammed him face-first into the ground.

**_"They take another step, and go beyond!"_**

As soon as he had been caught off-guard, Hiroto found himself falling unconscious on the ground where he had just been forcefully put. He had been beaten, caught by the very class he had taken out of the picture, and all because he had spent his time hunting down Pony rather than on making sure he remained completely undetected.

Now...

_I...lost..._

_..._

_..._

* * *

_"So the thing I don't get...is why a kid's here."_

_"A proper way to learn would be to ask, Tomura Shigaraki."_

_"Yeah yeah Kurogiri...so, Mustard, what's your deal again? Something about being disillusioned with school? I thought that's just something kids whined about to their parents...wouldn't really know, don't have the same amount of experience with school that others have."_

_"I don't have parents."_

_"So another orphan enters the fold..."_

_"I don't know if I am an orphan, but I am adopted...my 'father' is not my father, and I doubt my mother is either."_

_"I doubt she is your father as well. That would be an odd Quirk..."_

_"No...that's not what I meant..."_

_"Relax, I was kidding...you are pretty high-strung for a kid, but maybe you have your reasons to be. Dunno."_

_..._

_"What's it like having a family? You have any siblings?"_

_"A brother...and my parents always ignored me in favor of him."_

_"So is this your way of getting back at them?"_

_"Maybe. I think they got a good dose of karma when I gassed my father and left him in a small coma back home before leaving. He's a police officer, so I bet when he figures out what I'm up to he'll be livid...and I like the thought of that...it's the least I could do, especially since he struck first."_

_"I can't say I wouldn't hit a kid, because I have and would, but at least I admit I'm a villain up front...those who pretend like they are heroes serving the public really ought to live up to another standard though, not sink to my level."_

_"Stick with us and we'll make people like that rue the day they dared piss us off...alright?"_

_For a short while, he felt at home..._

* * *

Hiroto blinked as he came-to in a hospital bed, the setting familiar thanks to his time in the U.A. one. The light was blinding at first, and he vaguely remembered being led from the forest by police officers, but it was all a blur to him.

...

He lost. He lost to someone whose skin was steel and someone who could make her hands large. The feeling of humiliation was second only to the crushing realization that he had missed the evacuation, that he was no doubt in a Villain Hospital now where captured villains were treated before being brought to jail, and soon enough he would be spending his life behind bars.

Just like he had never expected to fail the U.A. entrance exam, so did Hiroto not expect to fail against the U.A. students on behalf of the League of Villains. He had underestimated them after he had been in such control of the battle, and he instantly found himself cursing any small mercy he may have paid them. If he had just shot the girl even though she was vulnerable, if he had just focused on the easier target even if it meant possibly killing her...then he would be free right now, and not handcuffed to a bed he could vaguely sense himself on.

His being awake now meant that the person sitting at his bedside could actually speak with him, so Mustard found himself blinded by the sudden light above him and deafened by the yelling of the woman next to him.

**_"Moron!"_**

Tilting his head to the side, the foggy-minded Mustard had trouble believing that the voice he just heard was actually who he thought it was...at least until he saw none other than Midnight sitting beside him.

"W...what?"

As soon as she yelled at him though Mustard found himself being forcibly brought into a hug, his numb body uncertain exactly where or how he was being held but his mind too confused by the situation to really care about the fact his onetime idol was forcing him against what was likely her chest.

Why was Midnight here?

"Do you know how worried I was?"

...no. No Hiroto did not.

Why was Midnight here? Why would she be worried about him at all? With all her thousands of fans she should have forgotten him by now...

"Miss Midnight..." he murmured, increasingly perplexed about why she would be here at all, "Why...why are you..."

His head was in a lot of pain...it came from being punched head-on by a metal fist, breaking his mask and forcing Mustard to inhale his own fumes. He had not just been beaten, but he had been beaten essentially by poisoning himself and breathing in his toxins before he even knew it...another humiliation atop the pile.

Rather than answer his question, Midnight retreated slightly so she could look at Hiroto as he tried his best to semi-sit-up, "Your injuries will be fine, no lasting damage I am told...these hospitals tend to have some of the best healing or caretaking Quirks around."

_So I was right..._

"This is a Villain Hospital, isn't it?"

That seemed to bring Midnight further pause, her eyes averting as she was forced to address the elephant in the room.

"...yes, it is."

His mind was clearing, and so any hope Mustard may have had that this was all some bad dream, that he had not actually been defeated, was shattered...he really did lose to Tetsutetsu and that hand girl.

"So I wasn't imagining it...that metal idiot really did beat me along with Miss Happy Ending."

His self-deprecating musing actually got Midnight to grin for a brief moment at his quip, only for her expression to shift to anger as she addressed that very same subject.

"Just what were you thinking attacking students like that, Hiroto? Do you understand just what you've done?"

Unable to look her in the eye like how he had been unable to accept her pity before, Hiroto averted his gaze even as he tried to boast to soothe his own ego, "Yeah, I beat close to forty of U.A.'s top students all by myself in a heartbeat, only losing because a few got gas masks. I proved I'm better than any one of them...that I..."

_That I belonged with them, not against them._

That's what he would say if he were not so ashamed in just about every way he could be.

Midnight brought a hand up to his cheek where the faintest traces of a bruise could be seen, his body healed but also still needing its rest to be completely free of any signs of his battle, "And? Is proving you are strong all that matters to you? You could spend the rest of your life in prison, and for what? Revenge?"

With a weakened hand Hiroto tried to brush hers away, but he was too feeble from inhaling so much of his gas earlier to succeed.

"You wouldn't understand."

Midnight lowered her hand out of respect to him, actually surprising Hiroto in the process and making him look at her again.

"...I think I would, Hiroto. Please...I just..."

She didn't know what to say, and honestly neither did he...so instead of confront the awkward feelings bubbling in his chest about how Midnight went out of her way to see him Mustard tried to brush them all away by dismissing the notion she cared out of hand.

"So what if I go to jail? It's not like anyone really cares about me..."

"I do."

That...was something he both expected to not hear and did not know how to respond to.

How many times had he heard anything like that in his lifetime? And why would she of all people care about him?

Seeing perhaps his confusion, Midnight was now the one to look away even as she took his closer hand in both of her own. No-one else was in the room, but Hiroto had a good feeling that just outside the locked door there were security guards...but still, in this moment they were alone together, and so Midnight spoke up about something she would not have otherwise said with company.

"I know you are smart...why do you think that I am immune to your Quirk, Hiroto?"

...

Their Quirks were quite nearly the same...she was right about that, but she wasn't immune to all poison gases...right?

...she was immune to _hers_.

As that thought dawned on Hiroto, Midnight could see the realization making its way across his shocked face.

"It's because it's mine...maybe how you use it is different, but you _are_ my son. That's why I was able to donate my blood to you before...we match, just like our Quirks."

That made Hiroto freeze, not because it was some shocking development he could not believe, but rather because in many ways _it made sense._ He was adopted, she was old enough to be his mother yet a teenager at the time meaning he could have been put up for adoption, their Quirks were the same (roughly), and they apparently even shared a bloodtype...

It made sense, but it also meant that the woman sitting beside him was his mother, not just his idol...and this fact left Hiroto in his frozen state as he tried to reconcile everything he had just done with the fact his mother had been trying to reach out to him all along.

He didn't have to be alone...but in his petty frustration he had ignored her attempt to reach out to him.

Just like Pony...

It was hard for him to tell, but Hiroto felt like he was crying...gushing tears like some crybaby, and before he knew it he went from petrified to leaning into Midnight and crying into her chest. He needed her comfort, he had needed this for over a decade now, and finally he was being offered some kind of emotional release he had not even been able to get with his 'friends' in the League of Villains.

"Hiroto..." Midnight spoke softly as she wrapped her arms around him, allowing him to cry into her as she looked painfully at him in guilt.

"I don't care if you're lying or not..." Hiroto said, mostly to himself but sort of to Midnight. She could be lying in this moment and it wouldn't change anything to him...she had already demonstrated more than anyone else really that she did care for him, or else she wouldn't be here, right? This was the second time she came to be at his bedside when he was hurt, something his 'family' from before had not even bothered to do...they weren't here now, they weren't here when he was hurt at U.A., and at this point he didn't want them to be.

Midnight was his mother, and that realization may carry with it much pain for Hiroto as he realized how ashamed she must be of him now, but it also made him happier than he had quite literally ever felt.

"I feel I owe you an explanation..."

Midnight was sheepish about talking to him, but the secret was out of the bag...they were mother and son and she intended to be there for him now that she could be. And part of that meant making sure that Hiroto did not think she had abandoned him out of some lack of caring or other form of disdain.

"When I was seventeen years old I was already a mother...it was difficult on top of being a newly minted Pro Hero, but I thought I would be up for it," Midnight admitted as she continued to console Hiroto, all the while she was cursing herself for ever allowing things to come to this point, "Then I learned that new Pro Heroes have quite the limited opportunity for employment, opportunities that are even scarcer when you're pregnant at your graduation and some doubt you'll be able to work the long hours the job calls for with a newborn child in tow. I mean, how many mothers would rather be on patrol at three A.M. instead of with their child?"

It made sense to Hiroto, so he just let her speak...he wanted in some way to be angry that for all these years she had left him with horrible people, but the rational part of his mind knew that she likely hadn't been able to choose his circumstances and hadn't know what was going on with him. She gave him up for adoption, and it was the social workers who made the mistake of leaving him with an unloving family.

"I could barely take care of myself financially, and your father had not even graduated yet from school...so we came to the decision that it would be best for you, even if it hurt us, to allow others more capable than us to care for you. It was the hardest day of my life, but I thought you would be happier...I wanted you to have a better life...I wanted you to have a mother and father to come home to every night...people who could financially look after you and take care of your needs..."

Now Midnight was crying herself, and Hiroto felt bad for making someone he looked up to his entire life feel so distraught...but he also didn't quite know what to say since while he had no say in his upbringing, he was definitely contributing to her pain through what he did to the U.A. students. She was barely able to say a few words before having to stop so she wouldn't just break down sobbing, and it hurt for him to watch...so he did what he could and deepened his hug to try and comfort her in a way his words failed to.

"If I had known what they were putting you through all these years I'd be the one locked up right now. If I had any idea I would have never let things come this far..." bringing her head down into his forehead, Midnight finally let herself truly sob, "I'm so sorry, Hiroto..."

While to some an implicit death threat towards a foster family would be seen as wicked, Hiroto actually felt relieved by the fact she was so disgusted by what she has learned that she would have harmed them on his behalf...it's what he would have wanted from his actual family, and she delivered quite well. That she was regretful over how he was treated made him instantly forgive her, as he could truly sense that if she was aware of his circumstances that those circumstances would have changed immediately.

She had tried to give him a better life, and in the process he had been neglected for years...but now he was with someone who _did_ care, even if only for this one moment.

"I completely understand if you hate me, or think I'm a horrible mother...you have every right to after what you had to go through because I didn't think I could be a responsible parent. If I knew then what I know now I'd have never let you go. I tried to keep my distance for your sake, so when I heard you were growing up in a reputable family and going to good schools some time ago I thought it would be best if I let you live your life believing you were a part of it...the reports were wrong though."

Having recovered from his own emotional outburst to some degree, Hiroto took a deep breath and admitted what Midnight quite likely already knew in some degree...he didn't quite know what the police or others had informed her, but she seemed in-the-loop so he just said a simple statement of fact to be certain.

"I was miserable. I didn't feel like I belonged, and when I figured out why I ran away. He hit me, and so I knocked him out with my Quirk."

"Was that how you..."

_How you ended up with the League of Villains after running away?_

At least, that's what Hiroto imagined she was trying to ask him, and to his surprise he actually found himself grinning as he thought of them.

"Yeah, living on the streets with nothing to go back to really doesn't leave you with much options. The League of Villains though...they treated me better than anyone at home or school ever did."

As far as Midnight could tell Hiroto had no idea that the one known as Tomura Shigaraki had visited his family and murdered his father, as he made no reference to this fact: it seemed that the manchild that had attacked U.A. at the USJ Incident had on a whim decided to punish Mustard's family on his own. To the villain it was likely a favor, and in a dark way Midnight was grateful she was not going to be arrested for whipping the man through the streets along with his wife for how they treated Hiroto all these years.

The League of Villains had given, however briefly, Hiroto someplace to be cared for and respected...ironically doing more for Mustard's personal needs than his adoptive family had.

Midnight found herself grinning in spite of the fact she was about to give praise to _villains_, "As weird as this may sound...I'm grateful to them. I was worried you were laying dead in some alley all this time, but they took care of you..."

When she learned that Hiroto had been missing she had nearly panicked, and when she later learned that his adoptive father had been murdered it made her even more worried about what had become of Hiroto. Why would the League of Villains just randomly attack his family after he went missing after all?

The thought that he had joined them never crossed her mind until Aizawa gave her a call late at night.

"Sure, they likely only did it because you were such a useful tool to them, but you're alive and safe now."

While he was no expert, Hiroto was fairly certain that at whatever prison he was sent to he would be deprived of his Quirk through some means...at which point 'safe' was the last thing he would consider himself.

"Doubt I'll be safe at prison when they negate my Quirk...I'm pretty scrawny," he glibly noted about himself.

Regaining some composure, Midnight lost the softness to her expression as she instead turned deadly serious, "And here I thought you were the brains while that moron Muscular was the brawn: like Hell am I letting them take you to prison after everything."

"I broke the law. I used my powers to harm others, and took part in an attempted kidnapping..." Hiroto argued, not understanding how his mother could even think he was going to get away with this, "I even shot someone...numerous times at that."

The fact he had been firing a gun at her students did not obviously please Midnight, but in the end everyone was going to be okay so Midnight set it aside for now...she could deal with reprimanding him _after_ they had this long overdue reunion and rekindled their bond, "Tetsutetsu is fine, fortunately...and the students who were harmed by your Quirk are recovering right now," with this said, Midnight moved on to address Hiroto's doubts about his future, "I have spoken with some of the people handling your case, but if you tell them what you've told me...if you let them know how you got here...then maybe you won't have to pay your debt to society behind metal bars."

"It's what I deserve though, isn't it?"

The way he said it...Midnight could sense newfound guilt in his voice. He very likely did not really care about most those he knocked out with his Quirk, which meant the guilt was either from how it might make _her_feel...or how he felt guilty over harming a certain equine student.

"Hiroto..."

As if to confirm her thoughts, Hiroto casually asks with his head turned away in some shame, "Is Pony alright?"

"Yes...she is, especially thanks to that gas mask you left her."

Pony was still likely unconscious, but whomever found her...well the fact she had a different mask from the others like Tetsutetsu probably would raise some eyebrows.

That he went out of his way to help her though...it did not change the fact he hurt her and hurt her classmates.

"She is going to hate me...it would be one thing if I got away, but now I'm a failure on top of everything."

"You took out almost all of Class 1-B by yourself, as well as some students from Class 1-A...you lost, but you're not a failure Hiroto," Midnight surprisingly reassured him with unhindered pride, showing that she was truly his mother since she was seeing the 'good' in his actions even those that were outright wicked, all so she could soothe his emotional wounds and ease him away from the proverbial edge he was on, "I spoke with Tetsutetsu and Kendo...people making you feel that way is why you did this, isn't it? Making you feel like you're worthless...like school is all that matters..."

Sensing that her words were having some effect, but did not address the underlying worry Hiroto had, Midnight again mentioned Pony to perhaps soothe him further.

"And Pony is one of my best students, I know her...and while she'll probably be hurt, and upset, she isn't going to hate you. Not if you apologize to her," she smiled warmly as she nestled against him, "She's been worried about you all this time as well, you know. You really should have called her, or me..."

That was another thing he was beginning to feel a bit guilty about...but at the time he had been so focused on his own misery he hadn't thought about how he was making others feel.

"I couldn't bring myself to, and when I ran away I didn't bring the numbers with me. It had been so long I had forgotten..."

Still embracing him, Midnight shifted her tone to that of a scolding yet reassuring mother, "We all make mistakes, Hiroto, and I won't lie about what you did today being a major one...but you are barely a teenager, you were abused and neglected at home, and no-one was there to help you. If I was in your shoes I'd probably make some mistakes too...no one is perfect."

Her words of encouragement were drawing him from the abyss of despair he had fallen into when he realized he was going to spend his life likely in prison, instead making him wonder if just maybe he might actually be able to reform as she implied...but how? And if he was free, would he have to go back...'home'?

"What happens if I do get out of this? Will I have to go back to...them?"

He would have known this already if he had been home these past weeks and able to be informed of his change in guardianship (due to neglect and abuse at the hands of his prior legal guardians), but Midnight was able to tell him now and so did.

"You don't have to worry about that...I have made arrangements, and you never have to go back there if you don't need to. You are my son, and I will be damned if I let others hurt you again."

Midnight pulled him into a firmer hug again as she said this, something that made the now more awake Hiroto blush since he could actually feel most of his body again and his head was right up against her chest...a heaven for the Midnight Boys fanclub maybe, but something entirely embarrassing to Hiroto.

As he struggled to ignore the fact she was smothering him, Midnight continued talking about what she had been trying to arrange during his 'nap' and how she intended to not let others take Hiroto away again, "Nothing is set in stone yet, but using my connections I am trying to see if you could come to U.A. under my supervision...Principal Nezu is willing to have you there, saying that it is U.A.'s duty to take care of the next generation and children in need, so all that remains is if we can have the legal side of things work out for us. Given U.A.'s influence I think it very well may be able to pull it off...but it won't be without rules and restrictions most likely, so it's not like you would be actually free of consequence."

So he would be a prisoner of the school instead of a prisoner of some hypothetical jail...that was something Hiroto could live with, especially if it meant being with his actual mother of all people who so evidently loved him. He already had spent more times in her arms than he had ever spent in his foster mother's...and that made him almost willing to ignore that Midnight was still smothering him.

"I know you are disillusioned about U.A. and other Hero schools, but...if I could get you in, would you like to be a student? Faculty children receive special consideration after all...and free tuition fortunately. You could live with me, go to class, see Pony...maybe even become the Hero I know as your mother you could be. Does that sound alright to you?"

...was it really a question?

"Y-yes...but..."

Midnight looked down to him in confusion, raising a brow at the 'but' part.

"But?"

...

"Could you...let me go? Or maybe just shift how you're holding me..."

Realizing his discomfort, the playful side of Midnight reared its head as she saw an opportunity to escape from the serious mood that had befallen them.

"Oh? Feeling uncomfortable in the loving arms of your mother because of a pair of breasts? And to think they were your favorite things when you were little..."

At that Hiroto wrested himself free, blushing profusely as he came to terms now with the fact that yes indeed _Midnight_ was his mother...and all that entailed.

It was an odd feeling, being both loved unconditionally as well as embarrassed beyond anything he had ever experienced in his life, but maybe now that would be a familiar feeling...and when compared to loneliness and dejection it was a very welcome feeling.

In a bit of irony, he had set out as Dabi said to take away the sense of peace others possessed, yet now he felt more at peace than he had his entire life.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to**** hinatayvonne, Luckyshot8, and John Prodman for your reviews last chapter, as well as ****jcollet2000, Luckyshot8, and newjack187 for your favorites/follows last chapter as well! I appreciate your support and hope you continue to enjoy!**

**Thank you for reading, and if you have any thoughts please let me know in the reviews below!**


	7. The Symbol of Hope

**Chapter Seven: ****The Symbol of Hope**

* * *

The days seemed to blur together in the time following Hiroto's defeat at the hands of Tetsutetsu and Kendo, the insides of the Juvenile Detention Center he had been transported to having become numbing and boring to him. Due to the threat he posed to others he was placed in effectively solitary confinement, but he was allowed visitors on occasion within the dull facility which spruced up his day...when his mother was able to get through to him. She was the only one who had come to see him so far, and was only allowed brief contact for the time being, but it was quite welcomed by the bored-to-death boy.

Midnight had told him that the government had assembled a special council to discuss the specifics of Hiroto's fate now, and that she would be campaigning to have him be shown leniency...but Hiroto was beginning to doubt she would succeed. The government wanted to pass responsibility of him off to someone else if at all possible, but it would also look bad on their part if news came to light that it had failed to properly ascertain his living conditions, did not even know he was missing due to a government agent (his adoptive father) not reporting Hiroto was missing, and that his criminality was born thanks to the failure of their social services and schools in addressing his social situation.

To them, with the spotlight already on U.A., they wanted U.A. to ultimately be responsible for him in one way or another and so were willing to have the topic of his attendance there broached...the council was formed of U.A. staff as well as from a group of Pro Heroes chosen for their varied perspectives and backgrounds, so U.A. would of course have a say in the matter along with their Pro Hero peers, but the implicit statement was that the government was passing the buck onto its Pro Heroes since this was an unusual circumstance given how low the crime rate had fallen in recent years thanks to All Might.

What decision the council would come to however was as of yet unknown, and so Mustard lay in wait to hear what they had to say...but until then he had only his thoughts and the ever-looming sense of regret to busy himself with.

The thought of how things would have gone if he had just reached out to Midnight...if he had stayed in contact with Pony...all of it played through his mind again and again on repeat, the sense that he had brought any punishment and fate upon himself gnawing away at him even as he tried to rationalize it all.

He made the choice to do what he did, and he now knew there could have been another path for him all along...if he had just allowed himself to see it.

Perhaps the only thing to keep him from descending into a spiral of madness over his likely oncoming fate was the fact that now, unlike before, he had a mother who loved him...Midnight truly regretted ever parting ways with Hiroto, and was doing everything in her power to make up for their lost time. It did not take long for Hiroto to realize that the early days of his childhood he faintly recalled were of her, not his adoptive mother, as Midnight had not instantly given him away and it was only after struggling for some time that she felt it for the best to give him to a family more capable of caring for him...something which drove even deeper how neglected and unloved he had felt these past years since he could no longer even attribute the warmth he thought he knew to them.

Even as hateful as he could be, as much as he could resent others for their perceived slights against him, Hiroto could not bring himself to truly be angry at Midnight...she had just done what she had believed was best for him, and now that they were reunited she was aghast at how it all had turned out. She had not expected to come into a stable living like she now possessed at U.A., nor had she expected his adoptive family to instantly neglect him in favor of the child they believed they never would have, and her guilt over not really checking in with Hiroto sooner drove her to be entirely ashamed every time they met...she had avoided trying to look at his situation too much in the past due to the pain of having let him go, as well as the fear that she might uproot and ruin his life if she suddenly entered it.

Now she was living with the consequences of having left him with those wholly undeserving of her child, and the thought that Tomura had done her a favor crossed her mind at least a few times even as she shielded Hiroto from the fact his affiliation with the League got his adoptive father murdered.

Perhaps if he had not been so starved for love and affection Hiroto would be in some way upset with his mother for putting him up for adoption, but just as with the League of Villains he was all too willing to just roll with the punches if it meant being cared for. He was willing to become a Villain to appeal to those who liked him before, and he was willing to forgive his mother if it meant she did truly love him...and she did. Sure, he had not bothered to ask her who his father was given Midnight's reputation as the 18+ Hero, but half of a family was better than none at all.

So used to her stopping by in the brief moments she was allowed was Hiroto that when he was told he had a visitor he did not even notice at first that it was not Midnight, but rather a walking set of bones that strolled into his room where the only things adorning it were a bed dead-bolted to the ground and a security camera across the room out of reach (especially to one of Hiroto's stature).

...

Who the hell was this and why was he here? Why was he _injured?_

"Who are you?" Hiroto asked, half rising from where he had previously been laying in bed with his thoughts as his eyes stared at the blank ceiling above.

"You can call me Toshinori. I'm a professor at U.A., as well as a friend of your mother," the bag of bones said, the man appearing even more gaunt than Hiroto himself was. The man seemed like he would lose to even _Tomura_ in a fistfight, not accounting for Quirks...but Hiroto had the feeling that Tomura would win with them too given how strong the League of Villain's leader was.

...despite introducing himself it meant next to nothing to Hiroto. This wasn't Present Mic, Eraserhead/Aizawa, or even _Recovery Girl_...this was a seeming nobody who looked useless. If U.A. hired him he probably wasn't useless, but all the same the first impression he left on Hiroto was wholly underwhelming.

"Never heard of you," the boy deadpanned, not leaving any room for interpretation about how he received this information.

"Uh, yeah, I guess you wouldn't have..." the now embarrassed Toshinori responds, running a hand through his hair before forcing himself to regain some composure, "Anyways...how are you doing?"

If he was truly a friend of Midnight then Hiroto would at least answer his questions...but he was still skeptical of this useless looking guy who probably had to use his Quirk to be worth anything, projecting his own insecurities onto the older man.

"Locked in a cage, only allowed occasional visits, and bored out of my mind," Hiroto stated, still deadpan in his delivery due to how emotionally drained he felt. Days and days of being left with his own failure and guilt would do that to someone with a depressive personality such as Hiroto's, and he was only kept from the abyss of complete depression by Midnight's occasional visits...even when she said something that made him blush or feel embarrassed it felt better than almost anything he ever experienced with his adoptive family, but there was no such bond here that Mustard could draw upon to care that this person existed.

Maybe years of others being cruel to him had left him a bit averse to strangers...just a bit.

Realizing what he was going up against, Toshinori approached Hiroto and took a place at the edge of his bed where the boy had made a space for the wounded man...just because he didn't care much for his visitor yet did not mean that he would just leave someone who looked half-alive to stand when he obviously needed to rest.

Once seated Toshinori decided it best to address his reason for coming here, coming clean with Hiroto about his intentions, "I have been appraised of what happened with your foster family, and I wanted to see how you were doing personally. Your mother is really worried about you, you know."

While Hiroto could not help but snark in response, hearing that fact from someone actually made him feel good inside for the first time that day...the thought that someone cared for him despite barely knowing him was one he was entirely unfamiliar with outside of his experiences with both Midnight and Pony, and it was why they each held a place in his heart despite how little he had actually been able to ever say to either.

"Of course she is. She's my mother."

"Yes, that's true..."

_Boy this kid's a tough nut to crack...nothing at all like Midoriya, at least in sociability..._

Clearing his throat, Toshinori tried to get himself back on track instead of just stating the obvious in response to Hiroto doing the same. He wanted to learn about his coworker's wayward son, and he was here, so he may as well go through with it even if the boy was passively combative and mistrusted him implicitly. It spoke to the boy's upbringing in a sense, and that saddened Toshinori...but did not deter him from pressing onward.

"So, young Hiroto, may I ask you why you did what you did? You don't have to if you don't want, but I want to hear you out, not just hear what others say about you."

...despite his prideful nature and how obsessive he was on proving himself as being better than others, at heart Hiroto felt so little of himself that he did not even begin to know where to truly talk about himself. What did he bring up? For what reason did he truly do what he did? He had an entire lifetime of moments to point to which could perhaps explain it all...but he struggled to find the words for them at first since the answer burning in his heart was just that he was a failure, not any of the reasons why that was.

Eventually Hiroto found courage in avoiding eye contact, something he had trouble with maintaining when he was nervous yet did not fear as much when he had his mask on...perhaps hiding his face through metal and gas just helped hide what turning his head away from his visitor did so much more simply: avoiding direct confrontation.

"My whole life everyone has looked down on me because of my Quirk...plenty thought me a villain by nature just because of it, just like that mind-control Quirk user from the Sports Festival...others just realized I couldn't defend myself with it and took advantage."

That was why he had rooted for that mind-controller in the Sports Festival when he got the chance to see his fight in the final part...he forgot the kid's name, but the purple haired boy had been through something similar and Hiroto could sympathize. After all, how could he not? It was like seeing a proxy of himself compete...only to lose thanks to someone with just the raw power to overcome a far more interesting Quirk.

Mustard wanted to be angry over how grim his future was looking now, but the numbness he had come to feel in the days since his arrest numbed him too much to.

"No-one's ever given me a second look, be it my classmates or my family...nobody except the League of Villains, but even they abandoned me in the end. My mother says she is never going to leave me again, but as well meaning as she is I doubt others will be so kind to me. I broke the law, and now I'm going to be punished for it like I deserve."

As sad as it was, it confirmed what Toshinori had heard about Hiroto from both Midnight and others...but hearing it from the boy's own mouth filled him with a heavy heart all the same.

"You wanted recognition...some form of affection that no-one else was giving you."

Hiroto shrugged, still refusing to meet Toshinori's blue eyes with his own, "You could say that. The only thing I have ever had to make me special is my Quirk, and for once I got to truly use it..."

"Quirks may define us in this present day and age, but personal integrity and fortitude can be just as important. I do not claim to know all of what you have suffered through, but know that I at least understand what you have gone through..." Toshinori said comfortingly to the boy while bringing his working hand to Hiroto's shoulder, somewhat surprised by how the child did not instantly jerk away from him. Once he was certain Hiroto was not going to pull away Toshinori continued on, "...I do have another important question for you however."

Another question? Hiroto would scoff at such sentimentality from someone he didn't even know if not for the fact he legitimately had nothing better to do than answer whatever his mother's friend asked him...at least it may please Midnight if he did not completely ignore the man, so Hiroto kept listening.

"The gas mask you left on Pony Tsunotori...why did you give it to her?"

...that was not something Hiroto expected to be asked about, so it left him off-guard and a bit of shock crept into his eyes as he glanced over at the dead-serious Toshinori. Seeing that this was not a question he could just brush off, Hiroto actually found himself answering it earnestly.

"She was one of the only people who has treated me like an actual person. She would talk to me, and she saved me during the Entrance Exam..." after a few moments of semi-holding eye contact Hiroto finally broke his away, "I may have been willing to assist in Bakugo's kidnapping, but I didn't want to hurt her."

As if accepting the answer, Toshinori nodded and spoke again.

"Do you regret what you have done?"

That question brought out the haughty side of Hiroto even as he tried to dial back the smarminess in his tone, "The easy response is 'yes'..." "But I don't even know. Am I sorry that I hurt others, when my whole life others like them have been the ones hurting me? No...not really, at least. Do I know that it was 'wrong'? Yes, but I did it for the only people who have really treated me like actual family until now, so what am I supposed to do..."

Of course he knew he did wrong...but he was willing to do bad things for the affection he had been starved of for so long, damning the consequences...consequences he was now living with.

"A real family does not ask those within it to commit crimes on their behalf...at least in a perfect world," Toshinori sighed, understanding why a child could come to do as Hiroto did while resenting the fact that the world was in such a state that it could ever come to that. Still, despite feeling empathy for Hiroto, Toshinori still held it for his victims as well and so came to look at Hiroto quite seriously, "You know that even if you spared her of the physical effects of your attack you did still hurt Young Pony, right? To her someone she thought of as a friend attacked not only her, but her dear classmates..."

"I know..." it didn't even take Hiroto a moment to own up to that fact, even as much as he tried to hide from it in his solitude these past days...but his self-deprecation and lack of self-worth also meant that he was able to see the merit of others, "That's why she'll be a Hero though someday. She can have friends, she has people to care for and who care for her in turn...losers like me who can't even cut it as a Villain have no place with people like that."

He had wanted to stand with her as equals (or as close to equals as the prideful boy could allow himself to consider another), but after everything he saw himself as dirt beneath her hooves...someone who felt ashamed to feel romantic affection for someone he had only ever really spoken to twice, her kindness a beacon in a long series of tragedies he had been faced with. She was better than him in every way right now, and he was actually quite grateful that she had not come by to see him in these past days...after all how could he now look her in the eye?

Standing up, Toshinori prepared his frail body for the trip to the door while his back lay turned to Hiroto, "You know, Hiroto, you may be better than you give yourself credit for..."

While he was fine tearing himself down after a lifetime of just barely keeping his insecurities at bay, the thought of another pitying him in some manner who was not Midnight brought Hiroto's face to scrunch up in anger. It was one thing for his mother to be regretful over everything, but to be pitied by someone else always made him feel worse than he did day to day.

"Who are you to judge me?"

That actually earned a laugh from Toshinori, who again rubbed the back of his hair as he now stood at the door with his back still turned to the boy whose eyes were glaring daggers in it, "Now? Nobody...but until recently I _was_ the Symbol of Peace and Japan's Number One Hero. I don't know if you get the news in here, but they are plastering my retirement all over it...at least nobody tends to recognize me like this."

In a single sentence he managed to completely change the context of his conversation with Hiroto, shocking the boy into complete silence as none other than the famous _All Might_ brought a hand up to wave goodbye while turning and smiling at him.

"Take care, Young Hiroto. Maybe someday I will be able to show you what it really means to be a Hero...because I think you may have the potential to be one of the best."

* * *

While most knew Midnight for her ever-present smile and somewhat smug/sadistic demeanor (that had in _no _way been inherited by her haughty villain of a son), today none of that was present. Japan's government had finished forming the council to determine Hiroto's fate, and so here she stood in an actual business suit rather than her typical hero garb so she could be presentable within the government facility the meeting was to take place.

Twenty heroes were to take part in it, and while many came from U.A. itself that actually meant little to Nemuri...she could not count on even her friend Aizawa to vote in her son's favor, nor that lovable buffoon Hizashi 'Present Mic', so outside of Principal Nezu she was fearful how others may vote and press the issue. The way it would go was that they would all discuss the matter, vote on whether to grant some kind of mercy or to punish Hiroto according to the law, and then handle the specifics thereafter until there was a general consensus...so if the Pro Heroes assembled wanted to she could very well only ever see Hiroto again through a glass wall in a visitor's booth.

That fear was what made her so uncharacteristically quiet and somber, none of her usual vibrant energy present as she sat outside the meeting room and waited for its inevitable start when everyone had arrived...some people still needed to arrive since it was not yet time, so she was sitting outside to get a look at the Pro Heroes chosen as they arrived to perhaps sense how they would vote. Right now she had no clue how that top ten Hero by the name of Hawks would vote, such was his flippant demeanor, but she was fairly certain the serious Gang Orca and Kamui Woods who arrived quite early would be against Hiroto...not that she entirely blamed them. Hiroto _had_ done something horribly wrong, and she wanted to punish him like any parent ought to...but she wanted to do it on _her_ terms and not theirs.

Unfortunately that was not up for her to decide, and so she had to wait for others to weigh in on what would happen to Hiroto.

"Nemuri, long time no see!"

That voice actually sparked a moment of hope in Nemuri, who looked up to find none other than an old friend.

"Emi," Nemuri remarked quietly, her breath taken away by the fact that one of the other twenty Pro Heroes here was someone she _could_ rely upon...perhaps fate's way of counterbalancing the presence of Aizawa at the same event in more ways than one.

Emi, better known to most as Ms. Joke the Smile Hero, was a teacher at Ketsubutsu High School and brought into the council to serve as a representative of Hero Courses outside of U.A. While not known for her seriousness, she was well capable of it and so was entirely capable of treating the issue with its proper weight even if her persona was that of a joker...it just was that, wherever she went, she had a way of uplifting other's spirits. That was why she was the Smile Hero after all, and the previously forlorn Midnight found the weight on her shoulders lifting thanks to the mere sight of her friend.

"How are you hanging in there?" Joke asked Nemuri while helped her stand up, Nemuri having taken a moment to have her surprise wear off and thus failed to stand immediately to greet Emi.

In another instance of totally not being related to Hiroto, Midnight averted her eyes from her friend as she spoke truthfully, "As well as I can be, considering the circumstances."

Dropping her cheerful facade, Emi looked at Nemuri with the empathy one could only truly receive from an old friend, "Don't you worry about a thing, I'm sure we'll work this all out in the end...even if it wasn't your kid I'd be arguing in favor of giving him a second chance, so know that I'm here for you."

Cracking a weak smile, Nemuri found herself hugging the other woman as a show of appreciation, "Thank you, Emi...you're a good friend."

Opposite the enthusiastic entrance of Emi, one of the last ones to arrive, was none other than 'Eraserhead' whose way of announcing his presence was to stroll right past the other two and towards the meeting room door.

"Let's get this over with."

Emi winked at Nemuri, gaining a playful look in her eye as she bounced from one friend to another. She could catch up more seriously with Nemuri later, but they both knew Emi had to shower Aizawa in affection every time they were together or a running gag over ten years in the making would be ruined.

"Awww, that's no way to say hello after all this time, Eraser! How about you date me and we call it even?"

"Is this really the time, Joke?"

"I've always got time for you, future husband!"

Her playfulness and Aizawa's ever-present annoyance actually had an oddly soothing effect on Midnight, who found herself witnessing something familiar playing out before her...after days of coming to grips not only with Hiroto's situation but also the loss of All Might as the Symbol of Peace, she now was in familiar territory. She did not have the energy to engage in her own typical playful behavior like Emi was doing, but she could appreciate her friend's ever-cheerful disposition at a moment like this.

If only she could get Aizawa to just give into it for once...she had been trying to get him to go for the girl so obviously pining for him, but he took himself too seriously to allow for that.

Maybe one day all her practice trying to help these two at least go on a date would come in handy for teaching Hiroto to get over his own serious self and ask a girl out...preferably Pony, at least to Midnight, since she had already picked up on Hiroto's affection for the girl with how he nearly refused to talk about her at all. He was barely feeling guilty over his other actions, but the mere mention of Pony had him like a lost child...the face he would get even without his realizing it when he heard her mentioned made his mother want to cry in his stead, so she had so far tip-toed around the subject for the most part.

But if she was ever going to get to enjoy that aspect of parenting she first had to secure his relative freedom, and so with a deep breath Midnight gathered herself and followed after Aizawa and Ms. Joke into the place where Hiroto's fate would be determined.

The room was fairly large, enough to fit the twenty chosen to participate in this special council around a oval-shaped table well suited to facilitate a discussion. Once everyone was present they all took their seats (Aizawa's tactically as far from Joke's as possible), and Midnight was able to do a more complete head count. From U.A. there was the small animal with a Quirk who had been their principal for many years, Nezu, as well as Aizawa, All Might, Vlad King, Present Mic, the Rescue Hero 'Thirteen', Cementoss, Snipe, Ectoplasm, Power Loader, Recovery Girl, Hound Dog, and of course Midnight herself. From outside of U.A. there was one of the top Pro Heroes, the rising star Hawks, as well as the seemingly grim Rock Lock, the kind yet villainous-looking Gang Orca, one of the 'Wild, Wild Pussycats' who had been teaching at the U.A. summer camp, Mandalay, another rising hero by the name of Kamui Woods, the recently crippled yet still dedicated to heroism Ingenium, and then finally Ms. Joke thanks to the desire to have another school's opinion weighed in.

The group was fairly diverse in terms of those present, with not even the U.A. members in any form of real consensus or opinion, so Nemuri tried to calm her nerves as Principal Nezu stood up on the table so everyone could see him...and so they could listen to him talk, since he loved to hear his own voice.

"Thank you all for coming today. I know it must have been difficult to find the time with the recent surge in crime following All Might's retirement, but this is a matter we still must deal with in the utmost care."

There was a quiet murmuring after that, but none could deny the fact that All Might being taken out of commission thanks to the villain All For One who had secretly led the League of Villains was a serious blow to the entire fabric of Hero Society. Some may want to act as if all would continue on as it always had, but everyone knew deep in their hearts that the paradigm of the world would soon shift...and what followed in that chaos would likely be quite horrible.

As if knowing this and taking responsibility for it, Toshinori looked down at the table in some shame.

Once a moment had passed Nezu continued on into one of his well-known speeches, talking on and on without giving others a real moment to interject, "Recently a training camp for our first year students was assaulted by a group belonging to the League of Villains known as the 'Vanguard Action Squad'. Among those who participated in the attack was a fourteen year old who had previously applied to attend U.A. as a student this year, Hiroto Kayama. Despite displaying talent as an applicant, Hiroto was disqualified when his Quirk brought harm to several other applicants in the examination."

"A poison gas Quirk is not very capable of defeating machines in combat, so to protect a fellow applicant Pony Tsunotori he purposefully targeted other prospective students fleeing the area on the off chance their powers would destroy the machine targeting Ms. Tsunotori. In the process he also harmed himself with his Quirk, prioritizing her safety over his own after she had recently done the same for him."

Nemuri glanced over when she heard a derisive snort from someone, finding the culprit to be Rock Lock: it would appear the Pro Hero had already made up his mind, just as she had, only in opposite ways.

"From what social services and police have gathered following this, Hiroto would go on to another High School where reports show fellow students hazed him repeatedly. This follows a pattern from his previous schools, where he was similarly mistreated and bullied by his peers, with the common thread appearing to be his small stature and inability to defend himself with his Quirk due to its possibly lethal nature."

"This, coupled with a re-examination of his home life done by social services recently is believed to be the cause behind his turn to villainy. You see, it has been found that Hiroto was neglected by his adoptive father and mother for years, and subjected to some form of direct abuse before he ran away from home some months ago."

That summary from Nezu brought out some more looks and sounds of sympathy from the crowd gathered, with Cementoss, Recovery Girl, and Mandalay in particular joining Joke in sympathizing with Hiroto. It would seem that he was not entirely without support...but just because they sympathized with him did not mean they would later vote in his favor, or so Midnight thought as she prepared herself for the worst.

"It is unknown as to the specifics that happened to Hiroto following this, but according to his own reports he was living on his own until the League of Villains accepted him into their ranks. His disappearance was not reported even though his adoptive father was a police officer, and so no-one at the time knew to look into matters further. He had been expelled from school for his truancy, and so even his teachers and peers were not looking for him."

"At our training camp Hiroto would go on to use his Quirk to render members of both classes 1A and 1B unconscious, and later on even confront two members of Class 1B with a firearm. The students managed to defeat him in the end, one of them receiving minor wounds in the process, and he was brought into police custody where he was then treated at a Villain hospital."

With everyone caught up to speed, Nezu returned to the subject at hand.

"This special council has been formed at the behest of the numerous entities, among them the police and various Pro Hero and civilian organizations such as the Detnerat Company. To some, this situation is a travesty and example of how our so-called 'Hero society' fails many members of our youth who are ostracized for their Quirks. To others, it is an example of exactly why our Quirks are so restrained and a sign of how dangerous even one unchecked individual can be. It is our role here today to decide how to see the matter of Hiroto Kayama's punishment for his crimes, but also to facilitate his rehabilitation in some means. At fourteen, Hiroto has committed many serious crimes, but he is still a child who has been failed by his peers, his family, and our very own government."

Nemuri had to suppress her rage as she agreed with her employer's words in a most vehement manner...she may blame herself in part for what happened, but she could not help but feel if everyone else Hiroto had encountered these past years had not also failed him he would not have come to do what he had. At least she had heard from Hiroto's uncle that the police were actually supporting leniency, the local police department having been appalled to learn fully of what Hiroto's father, one of their members, had subjected the child to following the investigation into the man's death. Punishing a boy they let be neglected and abused right under their noses would leave them with a dark mark in the public eye for years to come, and so it was in their own interests as well to sympathize with the child while also pursuing justice against their officer's murderer, Tomura Shigaraki.

"I presume you have an outcome in mind?" Aizawa spoke curtly, not wasting a moment in getting to the point.

Nezu nodded back to him in return, having taken to standing on his chair instead after his opening speech, "I do, but it is by no means set in stone. You see, I find troubling the concept of imprisoning Hiroto for some years and then releasing him when his sentence is served, as would be the case if we took drastic measures in response to his criminal activity. We would essentially be creating a Supervillain to be fought at a later time, one whose Quirk is incredibly dangerous if utilized by a mature adult rather than a boy. For this reason, I would like to take him under U.A.'s wing so that we may use our resources to rehabilitate Hiroto into a potential ally rather than a future foe. After all, if we have him imprisoned now after he has been failed every step of the way by society what reason will he feel to change his ways? We will only be creating a larger issue for ourselves at a later date, and I am loathe to admit I fear his potential as a fully realized villain...just as I am hopeful of his potential as a hero."

While Midnight wanted Hiroto's freedom as a concerned mother, Principal Nezu wanted it out of raw pragmatism mixed with his own optimism. If he could see Hiroto reformed rather than turned into a dangerous foe one day, he would, and if it meant doing a child a favor too then he would be quite happy with that outcome. He was already under fire from the media for things outside of his control, so his care about how others really perceived him or his school was not high on his priorities...what did matter to him was doing the right thing, for both his current students and future ones.

Now it was Vlad's turn to snort, showing righteous contempt for the idea presented, "You would have us teach someone who assaulted and hospitalized our students?"

His tone did not deter Nezu, who spoke back calmly, "While his actions are indeed troubling, if we are to look at it objectively we regularly inflict our students with worse injuries and harm than was done by Hiroto so that they may be ready for the dangerous careers they will face as Pro Heroes. This is not to say he has done no wrong, but rather to keep in perspective that our students were subjected to what amounts to sleeping gas."

Unlike Vlad, who was upset over most of his class being hospitalized by the boy this discussion was about, Rock Lock spoke up next as an outside observer and critic of the motion to show leniency.

"I don't care if he had a rough home life, and I don't care if he has some sob story about how others treated him at school: he is still a villain who harmed children and shot some with a firearm. I say lock him up and throw away the key."

The next scoff at the table was Joke of all people, nearly snorting in laughter as she grinned incredulously at the other Pro Hero's comment, "And here I thought I wasn't going to get a laugh today! Lock a kid up indefinitely because he made a stupid mistake after adults like us screwed him up? Besides, U.A. and other Hero Schools such as mine regularly have training exercises far more dangerous than any of that, as Principal Nezu said, so I am less concerned about the attack itself and more on how a kid could end up thinking they _should_ do that. Don't be a moral guardian and go 'think of the children' if you're fine letting one be thrown to the wolves after he's spent his whole life suffering."

Unconsciously Nemuri let out a breath of relief at her friend's words, having been worried that Rock Lock's harsh stance would have gotten fanfare from some of the others at the table...instead Emi argued against him and his dismissal of Hiroto's circumstances, which were really the main mitigating factor beyond his age about why perhaps he should be granted some kind of forgiveness for his actions. He made a mistake, yes, but the hopeful mother in Midnight wanted to believe he could learn from his mistakes and become a better person...that she wasn't too late in rejoining her son's life and could make a positive difference.

Highlighting his position as Joke's opposite, what with opposites attracting, Aizawa soon spoke his mind on the issue as well, "I think it sets a bad precedent to reward a criminal with a place in our academic program, no matter the circumstances. What if he uses what he learns for the wrong side when he leaves? If he fell to villainy once, I find it hard to believe he could not do so again."

As one of the other verbal opponents to the proposal, Rock Lock nodded in agreement to Aizawa's logical dismissal of the idea, "He's proven himself to be a lowlife, and that is all he will ever be. If he is such a future threat then leave him in a cage until such a time he isn't."

Being outspoken was in Joke's DNA, so she chimed right back at him along with a dismissive grin, "And when would that be, when he dies? We don't imprison people because of the harm they _can _do, you know, just what they have _actually _done."

"And he shot a student while harming over a dozen others. Why is this such a complicated issue?" Rock Lock shot back, still unforgiving in his nature.

As if to break the two up with a cement wall, Cementoss cleared his throat and read from one of the files made available to everyone at the table, "It says here according to police statements taken from Kendo, one of the two who fought him, that she believes he was trying to incapacitate them since he did not shoot her when he had the opportunity to lethally subdue her. He refused to fire at her when his aim was altered slightly, while his very first shot was so accurate it took out her classmate's mask. Combined with statements made by Hiroto in the encounter and those he fought, he was seemingly trying to outlast Tetsutetsu and force him to pass out rather than kill him. He also did not harm the others he incapacitated beyond the usage of his Quirk even while they were at his mercy."

It wasn't exactly an argument that Hiroto did no wrong, but painted a more neutral picture than Rock Lock's seeming implication that Hiroto was a gun-crazy nut trying to kill others. Hiroto did cause harm, but he wasn't set on murder...though it certainly could have happened if circumstances were perhaps a bit different.

"I dunno man, that sounds awfully generous..." Present Mic commented, sounding doubtful of Cementoss' accounting of the reports.

Despite being Hizashi's friend and an opponent of the general motion, Aizawa did at least speak up in favor of what Cementoss stated, "Generous or not, it was said by the one who actually fought him and should carry weight to it."

Mandalay, as one of the few other than Vlad and Aizawa who had been there for the attack, soon spoke up as well with concern dripping from her voice, "I for one feel bad about the whole matter...my nephew was disillusioned with Heroes not too long ago too thanks to losing his parents, and I can't imagine what he would have gone through if he did not have me to look after him...a student from U.A. inspired him though, so I've seen firsthand the effect it can have on others."

Nemuri noticed Present Mic glancing at her, then the files, then her again and again as Mandalay spoke so it was no surprise when the school DJ spoke up right after on a completely different note than Mandalay.

"Hey Midnight, doesn't that kid have your last name?"

Taking a breath, Midnight bowed her head in admission to the fact raised by her friend and coworker who until now had been in the dark about the connection, "I was waiting to allow everyone to speak first, but Present Mic is correct..." she raised her head enough to stare down at the file before her that showed her name after Hiroto's, but not enough to actually see if others were judging her or sympathizing with her, "Some years ago I put my son up for adoption, thinking it would be what was best for him. I haven't seen him since he was a toddler, but I recognized him when he was in the Entrance Exam I was proctoring."

There was a respectful silence following this admission, though Midnight could hear Joke quietly say something under her breath from nearby, "Nemuri..."

Rather than leave things at just that, Midnight continued onward in her side of the story so that perhaps others could understand where she would be coming from on this matter, "If I hadn't found and identified him Hiroto would have already been locked away, just another criminal Quirk user, but I have done everything I can to ask that he be given a second chance. I am now his legal guardian again, and I will accept full responsibility for anything he does from this point forward...I just ask that Hiroto be given the chance to prove himself. He was abused at home and school, and the only people who he felt cared for him were the Villains who didn't look down on him like so many others had...what kind of Heroes would we be if we allow Villains to be the source of comfort for children?"

Shutting her eyes for a brief moment, Nemuri steeled herself long enough to look up and face the others gathered around her finally.

"I know I am biased, as I am his mother, that is why I am not asking that he be forgiven completely, but rather that he be allowed to make up for everything he has done. I'm afraid of what will become of him if I am not there for him again, and I don't want to lose him now that I can make a difference in his life."

Despite sympathizing with her, Gang Orca still shook his head as he disagreed with the idea, "Any freedom he would possess now may result in the League of Villains gaining information through him to use against us."

Kamui Woods nodded to that, though he did appear regretful in doing so, "Unfortunately I concur with Gang Orca. If the only ones he has ever truly felt loyalty for are the League of Villains, who is to say he would not use any opportunity to return to them?"

Unlike everyone else who was granting the issue a sense of seriousness, Hawks was leaning on one hand as he just watched everyone else argue. Despite this, he was not above grinning as the subject of Hiroto being a spy was raised, "A double agent, huh? I don't think the kid's the type."

"What do you mean?" Kamui asked back, not understanding why someone loyal to the enemy would not be willing to spy for them.

Hawks continued to grin, completely at ease as he leaned back in his seat casually, "His ego sounds as large as his poison gas clouds. He's too headstrong to play the part of a spy, especially not when all the world's eyes will be on him. Besides, he worked with the League since they made him feel welcomed: so long as you don't kick him around when he's on our team he'll be just as loyal to us. He's probably a bit sore about them leaving him behind, so pet the dog and it won't come to bite you."

As much as Nemuri didn't like Hawks calling her son a dog (villains called her a bitch enough as it was, particularly female ones she liked to think were just being envious), she had to agree with Hawks' overall assessment: Hiroto had shown her some irritation that he had not been saved like the other members of the League, though it was mostly expressed in moments of amusement based around how Muscular _was_ caught...apparently they did not get along. So long as they treated Hiroto well, something anathema to what he was used to, he wouldn't become their enemy again.

Ingenium, the elder brother of a member of Class 1-A, soon spoke as well with something he had noticed within Hiroto's files, "It says here in his file that he started his career as a Villain after Stain's ideology went viral. As much as I may dislike Stain himself, he was right when he pointed out that this society of ours has its faults: it is important that we address them rather than turn a blind eye, and I too am of the opinion that we as a society failed this boy. Hiroto is younger than my own brother Iida, and so I believe there is time still to amend his ways: he would just have to earn it."

Stain had crippled Ingenium some months ago shortly before being caught thanks publicly due to Endeavor, but really thanks to Iida, Midoriya, and Endeavor's son Shoto as rumor had it. That he was willing to take the side of someone who had seemingly been inspired by Stain showed a serious degree of maturity as well as kindness, and Midnight was thankful for it.

Cementoss spoke up again, nodding along to Ingenium's idea, "I agree. U.A. would be the best place for us to reform his behavior while keeping an ever-watchful eye on him. If Hiroto were to do the Hero Course, as well as some form of community service, I would think that he could very well become a productive member of society rather than one of those tearing away at its seams."

Vlad's lip curled up as he fought to keep from snarling, "And how would you have us handle a constant threat to our other students? Most of my class was incapacitated in a single moment by those gases, and I would rather the entire school not have to all wear gas masks at all times just because one student may go rogue at any moment."

"Vlad has a point: even if you did show the criminal mercy, you would be putting yourselves all at risk. There's no point gambling the lives of so many just to maybe help some teenage punk," Rock Lock commented again, continuing to make himself a personal enemy of Midnight.

Before Midnight could fight off her aversion to speaking too much on her son's behalf, Aizawa spoke up and in the process actually became a voice of reason to the discussion, "You all are forgetting something: without him consciously controlling it his Quirk ends its effects. He also is not immune to his own toxin, meaning he has to wear a gas mask to truly utilize its potential."

...that weakness of his Quirk actually could prove useful in allowing for his freedom Nemuri soon realized.

"This means that so long as we deprive him of his mask, the most he could manage to do is hold his breath. It may be dangerous when one is exposed to it for extended periods of time, but right now if he tries to use his own power it will end about as soon as he manages to unleash it. Most people can hold their breath thirty seconds, a minute or two if they train. The gas does fade when he is not controlling it, but it takes time in the air to disperse fully: any usage of his power without a gas mask will almost inevitably harm himself as well. This does not mean he cannot do it, but rather that it would be tantamount to suicide to even try it. He could always try taking others out with him, but his Quirk is not one that is an ever-present threat so long as we deprive him of gas-masks."

Turning his gaze over to Midnight, Aizawa continued to just speak logically even as he semi-advocated for the opposite side of the discussion.

"His guardian also is immune to his powers, as their Quirks are in most ways identical, while hers grants herself immunity to her poison while his instead has a greater range without said immunity to compensate. We saw this play out in the Entrance Exam, where there is recorded footage of Midnight stepping right through his powers. The one who will spend the most time with him cannot be harmed by his Quirk, and with U.A.'s plans to have a dormitory system the the faculty dorm will be an entire building of Pro Heroes he would then always be around so long as he resides with Midnight. This is to say that managing him is not at all impossible, especially if an ankle monitor and other security measures are taken to ensure he is no threat."

As if to negate all that he just said, Aizawa soon shrugs his shoulders before he can be congratulated for having a heart by Joke, "Having said all this, I am against the proposal. I expel students for far less, and welcoming one in after what he has done is wrong in my eyes. If we do end up doing it though I feel that it should be on Hiroto's own merit, not because a committee said so: he should have to undergo a pseudo entrance exam, albeit one crafted to his skillset rather than the poorly-designed one we use for most students."

Still proud of Aizawa for being objective, even if they were opposed, Joke spoke up to second his points in a display of compromise, "Eraser is right. If he can earn his way in legitimately then it can smooth over a lot of PR problems, as well as perhaps help in the rehabilitation itself: he'll feel like he belongs, which is kind of the whole idea that Hawks spoke about. Besides, speaking as a faculty member from another school, U.A.'s entrance exam really does no favors to those with amazing Quirks that can't be used through raw strength, like that Shinso kid from General Studies who participated in the Sports Festival. I'd say we design a test that is difficult, but lets Hiroto prove himself one way or another all the same."

Nemuri could see that Aizawa hated what he was about to say, but he did it all the same since he was not so petty as to ignore a good point just because his admirer said it, "As loathe as I am to agree with Joke, that would be the ideal way of handling this if it does go forward...I can think of a few ways to test Hiroto already for the Hero Course, but none of them would be 'easy'. Namely putting to test his Quirk by having him face off against one of the Hero classes, or against one of the teachers like we had students do for their final exams before the summer."

Power Loader, the faculty member in charge of the Support program, appeared to be in agreement about the whole 'earn his way through merit' idea, "The Support Course could always use someone who can develop his own gear at home with almost nothing to do so with, so I wouldn't mind giving him a test as well if he can't pass a Hero Course evaluation."

As he said this, Present Mic of course was the one to notice that their present faculty member All Might was uncharacteristically quiet...normally he was the one leading discussions, not looking down at a table in seeming shame, so it was quite odd for the former number one Hero, "Yo, All Might, you've been quiet. What's up man? You got any thoughts on the issue or what?"

It took Toshinori some time, but he did eventually come to nod and look up at the others finally with some conviction in both his looks and voice, "I do...in fact, before coming here today I went out of my way to meet with young Hiroto so I may more accurately judge him. From what I have seen he reminds me much of a current student of mine you all know of: Bakugo Katsuki. They both are very prideful, yet underneath they hide deep insecurities about their self-worth and how it is intertwined with their Quirks. It is a sad reality that our Quirks can see us praised or shunned, through no effort or fault of our own as the case may be, and whereas young Bakugo was always praised for his Quirk's potential things were different for Hiroto. I do not wish to excuse him, for he has harmed my students and I desire justice for their sake, but I do not believe justice would be served by excessive punitive action against a boy who has time yet to learn right from wrong."

All Might's words carried weight with them, for most Heroes respected if not outright adored him, so no-one dared to interrupt him. Even if they did not agree with him they would allow him to speak, and so after gathering some more of his thoughts All Might continued on in his assessment of the situation.

"A student of mine, Pony Tsunotori, who has been mentioned earlier as the one saved by Hiroto during the Entrance Exam, has also asked for the same. She was one of the recent gas victims and still holds faith in him, even if she is hurt by seeing him aid the League of Villains. She is a kind-hearted, honest girl who I know would assist in any rehabilitation efforts made. By the same effort, if Hiroto is to be placed in some form of probation under the care of U.A. I shall make it my goal to help correct his path personally, aided of course by our other faculty members and whatever students may be willing."

It was both his greatest strength and greatest flaw that All Might was the kind of person who wanted to save everyone, even if he knew he couldn't...but that did not mean he could not try, and right now he felt that there was a boy who needed to be saved not from some great villain, but rather the demons of his past and mind that had driven him down such a dark path. Some time ago he had been retaught what it meant to be a Hero when a Quirkless boy threw himself at a powerful Villain to save their classmate, and since then All Might had been seeking to do everything he could to help others whenever possible...even at the cost of his own body, as demonstrated by his present weakened condition with the flames of his Quirk snuffed out through overexertion to face the world's most powerful Villain.

Some more discussion followed from All Might's perspective, but the "supportive" and "against" camps were solidifying already and the vote was not far off. From there they would reconcile the conflicting sides based on the vote tally and general opinions of all present so some consensus could be formed, and then this makeshift 'jury' would pass its sentence upon Hiroto...be it generous or damning.

Nezu stood up on the desk again once everyone had said their piece and discussion had died down, "Now, your vote towards lenience or punitive rehabilitation, please, as well as any brief comments you have concerning your reasoning. I for one support the motion of granting Hiroto Kayama lenience and teaching him at U.A., as I believe it will be what is best for him as well as society as a whole, even if the media may not like it initially."

Next to speak was Midnight, bringing the 'support' side up to two as the mother who had mostly remained quiet regained her voice, "I obviously am in support...Hiroto needs someone to be there for him, to teach him right and wrong, and I don't intend to lose him again because of what his foster family drove him to do."

All Might nodded to this, his own optimism shining through in his statement, "I too support the measure. I do not believe that young Hiroto is vile at heart, only that his life has brought him down a dark path it is our duty to help him rise from."

As expected, Rock Lock was the first to vote no, "I am wholly against. If that kid hurt my child I would never forgive him, and so I don't expect the parents of those he harmed to ever accept him nor the students themselves."

Following from Rock Lock was Vlad, who grunted as he did so, "I too am against, but if he does become my student I shall treat him like any other...meaning he will bleed and sweat like any of the rest."

**_"RUFF RUFF, BARK, RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF!"_**

...a moment of silence followed the noise, which in turn was followed by Principal Nezu politely commenting on his school's guidance counselor's vote.

"Hound Dog is against."

Once everyone recovered from the outburst, the calm and collected Snipe spoke up on his thoughts, "I support the motion, and am looking forward to the opportunity to test those marksman skills of his...not many students are trained in firearms or even think to possibly use them, so I respect the pragmatism even if I disagree with his targets most vehemently. Let me teach him where he should point that thing."

Thirteen shook their head sorrowfully, their astronaut suit shifting from side to side a bit as they did so, "As much as it pains me to say, I am against granting leniency. There is simply too great a risk I feel should Hiroto remain a danger."

Recovery Girl sighed as she too weighed in, "Thirteen is right. I do not wish the boy ill will on a personal level, for I am sure he has lived a difficult life until now, but that gas of his can be lethal in too great a dosage. Who is to say he will not use it again with the intent to truly harm?"

Power Loader rubbed the back of his helmet as he chimed in, thoughts of his most insane first year student on his mind as he did so, "I support the motion. I could use more rational students in the Support Course...right now I feel as if I am the sole voice of reason. If he ends up in the Hero Course it can be interesting making gear for him though, so either way is fine with me."

Maybe he could even have Mei Hatsume make Hiroto's gear as punishment for her breaking rules in the pursuit of 'science' such as blowing his lab up regularly in her testing...more time making things like gas masks could mean less time building things that explode spectacularly...though he would not be surprised if she found a way.

Ectoplasm leaned back in his seat as he took a different position from the others up until this point, "I am abstaining from voting for now, as I can see both sides and am uncertain which I agree with more. I believe we would be best served by a compromise that everyone can agree to in part."

Aizawa remained his usual succinct self as he spoke up, "My own feelings are less tepid: I am against. He broke the law and harmed two of my students, end of story."

Emi smiled over at him across the table as she took the opposite stance, "Sorry Eraser-darling, but I've got to agree with the motion. If there's anything my school can do to help you just let me know though! I'm not the kind who wants to see kids locked up for stupid mistakes they made because of what adults did to them."

Present Mic seemed confused more than anything, as if he was torn between siding with his best friend and various others he liked, "Yeah, I dunno about this all. Kind of with Ectoplasm on not knowing where I stand on the whole thing, so I'm gonna pass for now and wait for more of a compromise."

Still flippant about everything, Hawks grinned as he gave his own opinion on the matter, "I think having the R-rated/18+ Hero as a mother will be torture enough for the kid, so I agree to the leniency. All Midnight's got to do is threaten to wear more revealing outfits in class if he does something wrong, and you will have the perfect little angel," he looked over to Midnight afterwards and waved semi-jokingly, "No offense."

For the first time since Emi cheered her up that day Nemuri actually felt her mood lighten...she did have quite the reputation after all, rightly or wrongly, "None taken. Thanks for the idea."

Mandalay blushed a bit after Hawks' comments, though she soon recovered, "I agree too, but for different reasons...I just hate seeing children in pain or need, even if I don't always know how to help. I hope at U.A. that Hiroto will be able to find what it is he is looking for."

Kamui Woods shut his eyes as he spoke, as if thinking deeply on the matter, "I remain against, but cede that perhaps with certain stipulations that him attending U.A. would not be wholly out of the question...but I do not want him receiving a free pass."

Gang Orca was even more to-the-point than Aizawa, though perhaps it was because he felt others had already voiced his feelings, "I too remain against. We must draw the line somewhere after all."

"If we can ensure the safety of our students at large I see no problem with bringing Hiroto under our wing. The boy could use some positive influences in his life, so I agree with the motion," Cementoss added, smiling a bit as his vote tipped the balance from eight versus eight to nine to eight...thus ensuring the victory of his side.

Ingenium was the last to speak up, grinning as he did so, "I agree. Though, if he does end up at U.A. I hope Hiroto isn't in my brother's class...he can be a bit strict and serious!"

With that, the final vote stood at 10 in support of granting Hiroto some measure of lenience, 8 against, and 2 undecided or neutral. With this in mind, the discussions on how to handle having him at U.A. came, and after quite some time hammering out details they came to a decision that everyone from Midnight to even Rock Lock could accept even if no-one was completely 'happy'...such was the nature of compromise.

Nezu smiled as he got to stand up on the desk again, seemingly having fun in the position as he multiplied his height while also announcing the conclusion of the meeting, "As it stands, Hiroto shall be released into the custody of U.A. where we shall look after the young man and ensure he does not return to a life of crime. He will have to pass some kind of as-of-yet undetermined test to attend the Hero Course if that is what he still desires, with the General Course and Support Course still available as well depending on other criteria. For the meantime he will reside in the home of his mother, Miss Kayama, and will be required to possess an ankle bracelet on him at all times that shall be designed so that any interference informs authorities immediately. He will be restrained to campus, and will only be allowed to leave campus when ordained by authorities to attend some school function or test. When not training in or for class Hiroto will be banned from using face-covering clothing or devices, and usage of his Quirk will be strictly prohibited unless authorized by a member of the staff."

"Upon completion of his studies at U.A. Hiroto will be awarded his freedom on a probational level where he will be required to meet with various government authorities on a regular basis so as to assure that he is remaining free of villainous influence. Failure to complete his studies or violation of the rules set forth will see Hiroto carry out the remainder of his sentence in a villain prison to be determined at the time. He shall strictly follow school rules and codes, and any which would require expulsion will also result in his return to jail. In addition Hiroto will undergo mandatory psychological testing for his own sake, the counselor of which is as of yet undetermined."

"If he is to be added to the Hero Course, to balance out classes 1-A and 1-B in this special circumstance we will be adding one additional student to the other class, who shall also be tested and must earn their position from among our General studies, Support Course, or Business Course. Despite their prior conflict Hiroto will join Class 1-B where he will be influenced positively by his friend Pony Tsunotori, while Class 1-A will gain the other student joining the Hero Course."

"The Pro Heroes All Might, Rock Lock, and Hawks will serve as Hiroto's Parole Officers in the meantime and will handle as a panel matters regarding this issue in the future unless there are any severe changes in the situation, at which time those here will be asked to reconvene, or send proxies in their place should they be busy with their other work."

"Does everyone find these terms acceptable?"

With no-one speaking out any longer, so came the meeting to an end: the fate of Hiroto Kayama was determined, and he would be left in the custody of U.A. where the teachers would seek to reform him, and where the government would wash its hands of him, laying the blame of any failures than may ensue at the foot of the school while obviously taking credit for whatever success may ensue.

"Very well then, we have our decision. Thank you for your time everyone, and if any of you desire some tea I will be serving it out in the lobby!" Nezu cheerfully said as he hopped off the table and lead the way outside for everyone else, many of whom were grateful for the chance to finally get up and stretch their legs after hours of discussion.

For Midnight though she remained in her seat, hands clasped before her as she cried tears of joy: she hadn't lost her second chance at being a mother to her son, and now she just had to make the most of it.

On his way out Aizawa took the time to place a supportive hand on her shoulder briefly, not saying anything as was befitting his nature...only for the two of them to be launched into a tackle-hug by Emi, who wanted to celebrate along with her friends. It was perhaps telling of his friendship to Nemuri that Aizawa fought off the urge to force Emi off of him as he was forced into a three-person awkward hug, but Nemuri knew he was still not going to make things easy on her son when he took his test in the coming days...she was grateful all the same to him though for at least addressing the subject matter seriously and driving much of the compromise even in spite of his generally uncompromising nature: he was logical to a fault, and knowing that they had to reach a consensus he had undergone a course of action that led to that.

Hugging Emi back, Nemuri let out a breath she hadn't even known she had been holding and instantly began planning out the rest of her day...something she had not dared do beforehand lest she get her hopes up, but now she could do while accounting for the boy who would be joining her for it.

Hiroto was not clear of consequence, but now he could have a future to make up for all that he had done...and that was the most his mother could ask for.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to ****Luckyshot8, D. , hinatayvonne, John Prodman, and Spartan3909** **for your reviews last chapter, as well as ****zero1991, PersephoneUrania, Spartan3909, SunVulture, MrDyzio, and tinalouisebelcher for your favorites/follows last chapter as well! I appreciate your support and hope you continue to enjoy!**

**Thank you for reading, and if you have any thoughts please let me know in the reviews below!**


	8. Home

**Chapter 8: Home**

* * *

It was one thing to be visited by Midnight in her near endless guilt over having given Hiroto up for adoption, even if it was done so he could be properly cared for and looked after, it was perhaps understandable to be visited by her coworker even if he happened to be none other than _All Might_...it was something else entirely to be visited by none other than one of the people Hiroto had assaulted at the U.A. training camp using his poison gas.

All Might had visited earlier, but now Hiroto found himself alone with none other than Pony Tsunotori, a girl he was both infatuated by and unable to properly look her in the eye from sheer shame. She was sitting comfortably at the right edge of his bed, her taking a seat there having prompted the room's prisoner to pull his legs in from where he had been sitting so he could avoid touching her... the bed was not really large, and the amount of space he wanted to give someone he actually felt horrified to be speaking to was different than the room he granted to someone he had no idea who he was until All Might was on his way out.

Pony had tried greeting him politely when she entered, but the sight of her had stricken Hiroto: he was unable to bring himself to say or do anything except withdraw from her, knowing that the last time he saw her it was as she lay defenseless on the ground because he had attacked her and her classmates just to please his newfound friends...how _could_ he look at her even as Pony so obviously tried to reach out to him? Just being around her made him nearly nauseous, regret and fear firmly placed into him in a way he had been quite numb to before.

Midnight had made him feel ashamed even if she had not tried to just because learning his mother was actually a famous hero he looked up to while he had fallen to become a villain made him feel unworthy, but Pony was worse...the girl who had been kind to him, who he had thought of as cute and pictured idly in the time after they met, who he had hurt even if he had tried to mitigate the damage...seeing her was a swelling of emotions that conflicted one another and drove him to be even more introverted than he tended to be.

Not that he was introverted by choice typically...it was just a learned behavior formed by never really having the option of being extroverted. His social skills were a bit lacking, and he had briefly reveled in having a 'captive audience' of sorts when he was a villain. It wasn't every day he got to actually talk about his thoughts and feelings after all...

"Why?"

That much Hiroto is able to choke out, the silence even more damning than he could have ever imagined. Pony had been willing to let him take his time to actually look at and address her, but Mustard only did one of the two things...he was still looking away in shame, but at least he was willing to speak with her.

"What?"

Her response was just as simple, not really understanding what it was that she was being asked.

This being the case, Mustard continues to look away from Pony while keeping her in his peripheral vision, his eyes almost tearing up completely as he tried to quell the tempest of emotions within him.

"Why are you here? Why...why do you want to be my friend?"

As emotional as he was, Hiroto was no idiot: Pony was not yelling at him, she was sitting calmly at his side...she wasn't acting like how he hoped she would be like. He wanted her to resent him...he wanted her to be upset, because he was used to that. It would hurt less if she was really like everyone else he had met so far in life, if the image of the 'nice, kind girl' he had built up in his mind of her was all an illusion...because then he could rationalize that he was wrong to have ever expected more of her. That she wasn't like the other girls he had known, the ones who would mock him, lie about him, or even just ignore his overall existence if they were particularly gracious.

Love like what Midnight showed him, and the possibility that Pony was here not as an enemy but as someone hoping to support him...it was so foreign that Hiroto was stressed the more he thought about what he did to someone who really _was_ the kind person he had thought she was. A part of him didn't feel worthy of any consideration, of kindness itself, after what he did to her and coming to grips with that sensation left Hiroto feeling more guilt than how he felt after attacking two dozen other students...he had not had a reason to think anything but the worst of them, believing them lucky snobs who would just look down on him like everyone else, and yet someone who had every reason to _despise_ him right now was sitting beside him without even raising her voice.

"Hero's help those in need...and you need friend. I know you're not evil, not even after do bad thing...troubled, maybe, but good. You saved my life back at the entrance exam when you didn't need to...Pony believes in you, even if you don't...even if most don't."

...

How fitting it was that one of All Might's largest fans also seemed to share a perspective with him...for some reason the Symbol of Peace had said he believed Hiroto could be a Hero some day, and here Pony was showing the same kind of faith in him.

"I..."

He would laugh if he didn't first feel like crying.

It was so naive...he could still be a villain at heart for all she knew. He could hate her and everyone else at U.A., resent them for defeating and imprisoning him. _He_ knew that he did not intend to do such things now that he could possibly stay by Midnight's side, but how could anyone else truly? Pony had faith in him, but he did not quite have it in himself...how did he deserve someone who would trust him even after what he did to her?

Above anything else he wanted her to leave, to leave him alone, because years of being told he wasn't good enough left him with the idea firmly stuck in his head that he needed to earn everything he did have...and a friend was not among those things.

"My mother feels guilty, but you don't owe me anything. You saved my life, and I saved yours..." Hiroto rationalizes, still looking away from Pony as he thought about how _wrong_ it was for Pony to even want to be around him, "Someone like you doesn't have to spend their time with someone like me. You are strong...smart...and I bet the boys at school all think you are beautiful. Me? I'm a washed out loser who can't even make it as a Villain, even with my Quirk...you'd be better off just forgetting about someone like me, okay?"

Despite his words being said with vitriol aimed at himself Pony instead smiled and leaned in towards Hiroto, having focused on another part of his statement entirely.

"What about you?"

Her question actually got him to meet her eyes for the first time since she came into his cell, Hiroto now the one who was confused.

"W...what?"

With warmth still evident in her tone, now it was Pony who looked down in a bit of embarrassment.

"Do _you_ think I'm beautiful?"

...

Hiroto had not expected _that_ to be the part she focused on, but apparently the flattery he had given to convince her that she should have nothing to do with him had instead made her feel good...it felt like she was missing the point entirely, but a part of Hiroto felt that it was on-purpose: rather than focus on his negativity Pony had reacted to a positive part of what he was saying, changing the course of the conversation.

She may talk like a fool thanks to not knowing Japanese well, but she most certainly was not one.

Embarrassed for having revealed his opinions about how she looked in some form, Hiroto found himself looking away again as his cheeks blushed red...but what was he going to do now, retract his statement and lie? Pony would just call him out on it, so he felt forced to admit his true feelings on the matter.

"I have eyes. Of course I do."

Looking up with rosy cheeks of her own, Pony kept smiling and even winked playfully at Hiroto to tease him, "Maybe I join Miss USA contest when I go home."

She hadn't really given much thought to her Hero name yet, but someone had called her 'Miss USA' during the Fourth of July celebration and she kind of liked that as a name...hearing a boy outright tell her that they found her attractive just reminded her of the title and gave her a bit of inspiration to try it out perhaps. Nobody in her class at U.A. really remarked on her looks for all she knew, and she didn't really interact with many from outside her class, so this was actually one of the first times she had gotten to hear any praise concerning her appearance since she came to Japan. Pony figured that for Class 1-B they looked after her like protective siblings given her speech difficulty, so it hadn't really bothered her before...but hearing something nice was most certainly welcome.

Hiroto's mind had spaced out completely from the conversation at hand however thanks to a single word used by Pony.

"Home..."

He repeated it to himself as he imagined the home he had grown up with...the place he had spent far more time alone than interacting with the family who was present there. Where he had learned to stop seeking attention most of the time since it simply would not be given. Where the smallest accomplishment from his 'brother' would be met with praise, and the smallest failure of Hiroto's own was met with instant criticism.

The 'home' where he had run away after having used his Quirk on his 'father' in retaliation for being struck, having finally reached his breaking point personally.

Realizing that perhaps she hit a sore spot for him, Pony brought a hand over to Hiroto's own at his side and took it into her own.

"Miss Midnight told me things..." her semi-joking tone from before faded to give way to one of sympathy, "I'm sorry."

Midnight had not told her _everything_, but had given Pony a basic idea when pressed for it of what happened with Mustard...it was why Pony's anger had deflated before she ever even met up with him again, as being angry at him at this point would feel cruel. Having come from a warm, loving family of her own that she missed every day it was almost anathema to Pony to imagine a family that was the opposite of that, one where neglect and abuse were rampant and where Pony felt _glad_ Hiroto ran away from.

It did not mean that she forgave Hiroto for everything he had done, but Pony could not bring herself to be furious at someone who she really felt just needed a hug for once in his life.

Realizing that he had spoken that one word aloud despite only having meant to think about it, Hiroto shook his head and looked back to Pony briefly, "Don't be. It's not your fault..."

A pause remained between the two for some time which resembled Midnight's parenting: pregnant early on, but which somehow still came to too short an end.

"Mustard is silly boy."

Pony didn't want to just dwell upon the negative things Hiroto was obsessed with, and so instead of doing so she wanted to bring his spirits up a bit...even if it meant making fun of him. He took himself too seriously, and if he was so set on insulting himself why not do so too? That way he would defend himself instead and maybe not think so poorly of himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hiroto scoffed, unintentionally defensive even as he recognized the humor in Pony's voice.

Pony smiled as she poked his chest, her finger pressing into the school uniform he had worn and was continually being given to wear whenever it was clean...he only would wear the prisoner uniform when it wasn't, but apparently someone pulled strings to at least allow him a better outfit.

"You wore school uniform in battle. Silly boy."

Hiroto looked down to where her finger was touching him, his face flushed red both in embarrassment born of having a girl touch him and in having her mock him...he wanted to defend himself, but he couldn't really debate her point in any meaningful manner because now even he realized _she was right_.

"It's not like I had a lot of options..." after a moment of pathetic defense in his own favor Hiroto hung his head and gave in, "No, that's not true...I just didn't even really think about it. My mask and gas tanks are all I thought I needed, so I didn't think it through."

He didn't like arguing with Pony...especially not when he knew she was right.

Still focusing on the positive, Pony continued to smile at him and squeezed his hand in her own, glad that he had not pulled away despite his attempts to do so verbally before, "You design mask, can probably design uniform too if wanted."

_A uniform, huh?_

_..._

_Like I could ever wear it..._

Pony had a good idea, and he was confident he could design something better, but Hiroto gave up on the concept immediately when he realized he was incapable of likely ever wearing such a costume again...Midnight may try to avert his fate, but for all Hiroto knew he was going to spend the rest of his days behind jail bars, only able to see his mother through thick glass.

"Probably, but it doesn't matter now I guess."

This actually got Pony to frown, her face a mixture of sorrow and annoyance as she stared right at Mustard with her big eyes.

"Self-pity makes me sad but also makes me want to hit you. Would do it, but that would be mean right now, so I'll wait."

"Once they lock me away you may have missed your chance."

Gaining back some of her good spirit, Pony grinned at Hiroto when she realized that in fact nobody had yet filled him in about the news.

"Nope. I wait for class so can hit you then."

...

"What?"

Pony took some pride out of being the first to tell him, smiling brightly as she was able to again look Hiroto in the eyes even if it was just out of his surprise.

"The authorities decide you need rehabilitation, and so you will be student at U.A. like me. Pass U.A., have probation, and then you free like anybody else," Pony explained, "You got to pass test if want Hero Course though. Otherwise you in General Studies, or maybe Support Course."

...

...

His mother had made her promise come true. He wasn't going to be taken away...

...

_And_ he could attend U.A., though he would have to somewhat earn his place there...the thought of which was both exhilarating and depressing to Mustard, as he was skeptical about their ability to properly test him after what he went through in the Entrance Exam.

"What kind of test? More machines?"

"I dunno, but you going home with Miss Midnight soon. She filling out paperwork," Pony said in a cheerful way, excited about how they were all going to go to a new 'home' together, "She brought Pony here to see you."

...

He wasn't going to jail.

This wasn't going to be the last time he saw Pony.

He could go to U.A. like he had always wanted, become a Pro Hero, prove to the world that he had redeemed himself (even if only for one or two people), and have the 'normal' life he had always wanted with maybe friends and family...to be paid attention to, wanted, and needed...

In a single moment Pony had informed him about how his entire fate was changing, that he was about to begin a new life instead of be dragged down by his old one, and Hiroto felt his entire conflicted ball of emotions change in a single moment.

"I..."

It wasn't too late, and maybe this time if he worked hard he could actually achieve the sort of recognition he had always craved.

Bowing his head to her, Hiroto found himself trying to start anew on their conversation, no longer wanting to drive her away if now he was going to actually be spending time together with her...it would be easier to hate her from afar if she hated him too, to think lesser of her if she abandoned him like everyone but Midnight had in his life, but this was different...having her hate him would cause him eternal misery if they went to classes together or were at least in proximity with one another, and so he needed to do whatever it took to make sure she didn't now.

"I'm sorry, Pony. I was an idiot for not reaching out to you...I envied you and felt like seeing you would only make me feel even worse about myself," ashamed of himself for once, the haughty teenager tried to be humble to the best of his ability, "I repaid your kindness with hurting you, and so I don't expect your forgiveness..."

Pony was pleased by his shifting of gears, not having forgotten what he did at the training camp but also having the empathy to see past it and realize that with proper support maybe he never would have come to doing that. That if only he had passed the entrance exam, been her classmate and friend, this all could have been averted...but now he had a second chance, and she was genuine about wanting to give it to him.

"Mustard is dumb, yes," Pony giggled to herself as she affirmed his general statement about himself, but she followed it up soon thereafter by using her free hand to guide his face up to look at her own, "Hiroto is Pony's friend though, and a friend in need is a friend in need."

A second chance did not mean third however.

"You hurt other friends though, so if you want forgiveness you make them forgive you too. Then I fully accept apology," Pony finished, her tone slightly more serious even as she continued to hold Hiroto's hand comfortingly.

Hiroto was willing to try, if only so his only friend would be able to forgive him some day...but he would not be lying if he did not find this task herculean and quite impossible.

_Did she forget I shot them? Well, shot __**at**__ them mostly..._

"As if Metal-head and Handjob will forgive me...I shot at them," Hiroto scoffed, whining a bit about Pony's criteria for forgiveness just because he could...and it became glaringly obvious that his nicknames for the two went completely over Pony's head since she didn't even blink at one of them.

Pony may not have really 'got' them, but she did understand that he was calling them by some kind of nickname so she used one of her own when mentioning TetsuTetsu in response.

"RepeatRepeat-friend and Kendo-class rep will forgive you if you say you sorry and work to earn their trust. They good people, no hold grudges."

"How would I _possibly _earn their trust?"

Pony smiled as she lifted her arms up to a boxing-like position, ready to sock Hiroto in the face but refraining from doing so, "Tetsu probably want to punch you once or twice for each time you shot him. Then he be your friend. Simple like that," her voice remained cheerful despite having told Hiroto to let TetsuTetsu beat him up, only taking a dip into seriousness when she stopped to consider what would make her other friend forgive Hiroto, "...Kendo more complicated. She like Pony and likely require you to make amends with class before she truly forgive you."

"...fine."

If that is what it took to be Pony's friend now, Hiroto would do it...he doubted many others at U.A. would want to be his friend after all, so he would have to cherish Pony all that much more. She probably had a lot of friends, but he doubted they would want anything to do with him...

...

It now dawned on Hiroto that she may have a _boyfriend_, something he suddenly felt as depressed by the concept of as his prior fate of being incarcerated, such was the fickle nature of the heart. Being locked away was one thing, having to watch Pony make heart-eyes at someone else would crush his soul in a new way he had not yet had the displeasure of experiencing.

...

She was acting awfully 'friendly' and close though, and so Hiroto figured that it was due to their different cultural backgrounds or that it was because she wasn't in a relationship...he was right on both accounts, but he had no way of really knowing either at the present time without asking her which he simply couldn't do. Fight Pro Heroes and their trainees? Sure. Defeat a psychopath killer like Muscular? Sure.

Ask the first girl he ever liked if she had a boyfriend? No. Never. He barely even knew how to talk to a 'friend', so that was well beyond his social capabilities.

"Wanna watch anime together when you get to new home?"

...and then there was the girl herself, who was doing her best to make him feel better by shifting the conversation when she could. It might be evident by his blush, but each moment he spent by Pony reinforced the feelings he had been developing for her ever since they met...the more he thought about the one real friend he had ever been able to make, even if it was only for a day, the more he couldn't stop thinking about her as more than just that. Before he became a villain he had tried to quell the feelings, and as a villain he tried to rationalize them away, but now that he was going to be around her perhaps every day Hiroto couldn't find it in himself to really try and pretend they weren't there...it would be impossible, especially if she continued being this (physically) close to him.

"You're a good person, Pony...I don't know if I could be so nice to someone who did what I did to me and those I cared for."

"All Might told me you feel bad about what you did, and I believe him. He favorite teacher and role model, and if he says you have potential for good then Pony believes him," Pony said while bringing Hiroto in for a brief hug, "You gave me mask when you didn't need to...and I heard some of what you said to me. You not bad person, you silly boy who made bad decision because bad circumstances. If improve circumstances you not bad anymore, and so I want you to be happy so you can be friend instead of enemy again."

It felt nice being hugged by someone...it was one thing for Midnight to hold him, but for someone else not even related to him to do so made Hiroto feel tingly in a good way. He had craved this for so long that he was left near paralyzed when he actually experienced it...though he still could find it within himself to smirk as he realized Pony wasn't _just_ being nice to him for benevolent reasons.

She _was_ smart after all.

"Pragmatic kindness..." he tried not to laugh, though he couldn't hide his amusement completely, "You aren't as dense as your speech makes you sound, Pony."

"Also smart enough not to monologue."

...

She was smirking at him knowingly, no doubt having heard his little spiel to her friends second-hand at this point.

...

What was worse was that, once again, Hiroto couldn't argue with her even as the usual innocence Pony possessed was replaced with a mischievous grin. Instead all he could do was deflect, because it _was_ stupid of him to basically tell his opponents a way to defeat him.

"Where's the fun in victory if you can't gloat?"

Pony playfully poked him in the chest again, her grin infectious as Hiroto found himself fighting the urge to grin at his own expense too, "There isn't any if you lose because you gloated like silly boy."

Crush or not, Hiroto intended to show her just how serious this 'silly' boy could get when he was in class...he had his pride, and a lot of it, so while he could admit (internally, not verbally) that she was right it didn't make him any less excited about the possibility of getting back at her. It was childish perhaps, but given that he was a child that was not all too surprising.

"Whatever...what anime did you want to watch anyways?"

Now it was his turn to change the conversation's course, directing it back to her desire to watch something with him, something social and positive they could share together given their shared hobby of watching cinema (even if the specifics varied)...and as simple as it was it was a positively thrilling idea.

"Jin-Roh is good choice. We can get ideas for your new Hero costume!" Pony suggested, her large eyes lighting up as her face became one of glee at the prospect of both fixing Mustard's subpar uniform _and_ watching an anime she liked.

"Perhaps...and what's wrong with my mask?" Hiroto found himself defensive about the idea of changing his entire costume, as Pony's vague suggestion seemed to imply. He liked his mask after all, so even if he was willing to wear something alongside it he did not want that part to change.

"Mask good, school uniform stupid. Wear armor and maybe you not get knocked out in one hit next time. Be mage-tank, not squishy wizard."

Hiroto grimaced at the suggestion: him being tougher wouldn't have stopped a metal moron from breaking his face, "I had solid metal break my mask and face in one punch."

Pony didn't seem to really care, liking her idea too much to really listen to his complaining, "Any anime you want to see, or American show?"

"I don't really know...I don't know what my mother has, or what she will let me watch. I also don't know what she intends to do when we get 'home'."

He didn't want to lie to Pony, so he was honest...he didn't want to promise something only to find that he couldn't deliver on it later. Pony seemed to get this fortunately, and in her excitement for the rest of the day's activities she brought up what they were going to be doing between then and now.

"We're going to McDonalds first," the American girl said with childlike excitement.

Hiroto rose his eyebrows at her, having heard of the restaurant (if it could be considered such) location but not having visited it before, "And whose idea was this?"

"Pony's. We talked about 'welcome home' dinner, but that have to be tomorrow since Miss Midnight no has groceries and needs to get them, so I convinced her to bring you to best American restaurant that exist," Pony flexed her arms proudly as she continued, withdrawing her hand from Mustard's briefly to do so, "Pony get protein from McNuggets and get strong, so Mustard get big and strong too with power of McDonalds."

Seeing how much she seemed to enjoy it, Hiroto decided to play along even if she was acting like she was eight and not sixteen, "I've never been there...don't have a clue what a 'McNugget' is, but sure. If you like it I'm sure it's good."

He was going 'home' now, and he was going to be spending the day with the only two people outside of the League of Villains that he cared for...while before he had been priming himself for his seemingly inevitable fate in prison, now he was only thinking about how grateful he was for those same two people.

It was a new feeling, but one he wouldn't shy away from like some of the others he had been experiencing.

* * *

"Hiroto..."

When they reached the lobby of the building he was imprisoned within, having passed by numerous guard checkpoints with the supervision of numerous law enforcement officials, Hiroto felt his heart stop at the sight of Midnight.

She looked like an absolute _wreck_, as if she had been crying today and not yet cleaned herself up...but in this moment she looked so positively happy to see him that he didn't even flinch when she rushed up to him and hugged him with such ferocity that a guard nearby him almost prepared to stop what appeared to be a tackle only to realize that it was a mother hugging their son a moment thereafter.

"Mom..."

Awkwardly he hugged her back, the word 'mom' still weird for him to say to someone he had until recently only seen as an idol...that the woman he looked up to his entire life was in fact his mother was in a sense a dream come true, a realization of his idolizing her in a way separate to his peers who all leered at her body. Ever since he had seen that television broadcast of her when he was a toddler he had been interested in Midnight as someone to look up to, much like others did All Might, but he never considered her the same way others he knew had...it had seemed wrong to do so, especially when in the deepest recesses of his mind he saw her as a maternal figure to look up to, unlike his adoptive mother who spent more time on martinis than she did him.

Maybe it was having spent at least a year or two with Midnight that he had always sort of recognized her as a parental figure of sorts, but learning the truth of his parentage made him happy in a way he could never really have imagined...he just didn't know quite how to show it, just like it was awkward for him to say aloud the new word for Midnight he had: mom.

"I love you so much, you know that?" Midnight said to him, looking down in his eyes while fighting back new tears.

"I...I love you too..." was all Hiroto could awkwardly choke out, nervous about the whole conversation since so many people were looking at him...Pony chiefly among them, since he didn't honestly care what the law enforcement agents here thought even if he was self-conscious with his 'image' to them. Pony was only a few feet away, holding her hands together sweetly as she watched the mother-son reunion with the utmost support.

Kissing Hiroto on the forehead, Midnight gradually let him go so she could lead him out of there before anyone could _possibly_ change their mind, "Let's get you home, Hiro..."

He awkwardly walked behind her as she lead him out, stopping on occasion to briefly send some man ogling her a death-glare informing them that he was willing to go _back_ to prison if they continued staring, only to stop when Pony tugged on his arm and giggled about him being a "silly boy" again...Midnight could be seen grinning a bit, perhaps proud of Hiroto in her own way, but she didn't comment verbally so it went mostly unsaid on their way to her car.

When Midnight took to the driver's seat she had naturally expected Hiroto to take the seat beside her, and then for Pony to sit in the back on one of the two seats there...but Hiroto had entered the back with Pony, awkwardly sitting like a child behind his mother.

"You can sit in the front, you know."

"...I'm fine back here."

Realizing that Hiroto just wanted to be beside Pony who had been holding his hand to help lead him to where they were parked, Midnight grinned and let it be, not wanting to ruin it for him. They hadn't broken their hand-holding even after they got into the vehicle, so who was she to stop the possible blooming of young love? She knew Pony well enough to know that she didn't have the same boundaries as her other students, so it was more innocent on her side, but for Hiroto to go along with it...that certainly meant something.

"Of course. Just remember to buckle your seatbelt, okay?"

"Okay..."

Hiroto blushed when Pony giggled at how much he sounded like a young child when he said that, but he let it go because as the car began to drive away so did his worries...even if he failed to pass the tests U.A. gave him he would still be in a far better position than he had ever hoped to be after his defeat, and so he could not help but feel grateful.

He would almost even forgive his vain mother for the collection of magazines showing her in various 'sensual' poses that were held in the backseat of her car, because as much as Hiroto prided himself on his intelligence (and hated himself for making mistakes), his mother held the exact same opinion of herself concerning her appearance.

Mustard would gloat about how much smarter he was, Midnight would flaunt her figure, and Pony chuckled in a way not unlike Miss Joke telling someone their fly was down: and to Hiroto's surprise he was fine with this all.

* * *

"Are you sure we won't draw attention here?"

Waiting in line at McDonalds gave Hiroto a bit of anxiety, not used to being out in public like this...but more than that he was uncertain if anyone would recognize him. If anyone would recognize _Midnight_, his dear mother who had been whistled at by a few back at the facility he was kept at.

He was fine if people he didn't care about disdained him, he was used to that by now, but seeing others eyeing his mother was a whole new experience to Hiroto and it was one he was beginning to loathe...though fortunately no-one seemed to be doing it yet here at the fast food restaurant.

Midnight tussled her son's hair playfully, throwing him a wink as well as she tried to ease his fears, "You don't need to worry about that. Truth be told most people don't recognize me when I wear actual clothing."

...

"I know that was meant to be reassuring, but it really isn't."

"Don't worry, Hiro, the only Midnight Boy here today is mine. You can worry about my fans some other day, but today is all about you."

True to what she said however no-one really seemed to give her a second glance: it was only at the detention facility that people knew who she was and knew to look. People just going about their everyday lives didn't really pay her a second glance since she was just another woman in a business suit, and it was only by further inspection that she was actually the sex-symbol of the Hero world.

Mustard was still trying to erase some of the magazine covers from his mind.

Pony ran him through the menu there, but Hiroto was not feeling very adventurous so he went with the basic Chicken nuggets available there which had a 'Mc' in their name for some branding reason...the place was colorful and filled with a slew of normal families that made him feel weird looking at, but also comforted by now that he was sort of in one himself.

Along with his chicken he ordered fries, though noticed that Pony didn't along with her hamburger she ordered: according to her she didn't want to get fat, but Midnight said that fat could be good in "the right places", prompting her son to blank his mind and focus just on the food again.

With their order placed they all took a seat, waiting for it to be prepared for them in like many others there.

"There's so much I don't know about you still that I want to..." Midnight admitted as she sat across from Hiroto on a cushioned seat, "If you aren't up for sharing you don't have to, but I want to know everything I can about you..."

Hiroto shifted awkwardly, uncertain where she was going to go with this but relenting because she was his mother and he felt he owed it to her, "I guess...what do you want to know?"

Most of what Midnight asked was mundane, such as his favorite colors (green, blue, black, white, and purple of course, he wasn't very choosy), his favorite foods (chicken, french fries, popcorn), and so on and so forth...just little details she was deprived of knowing because she had not seen him in a decade, and he was happy to fill her in on.

But then the fact that she was Midnight made itself known.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"Girls don't like talking to me..." Hiroto admitted awkwardly, having gotten into a comfortable groove of answering questions only to be hit with _this_, "Because of my Quirk, once we got to Middle School they all started saying I'd use my power to do bad things to them...some even lied and said I had, because everyone else was already mocking me."

Midnight was somewhat grateful she did not have her Hero Costume on for completely different reasons than Mustard: she _needed_ to not have her whip in her hands or she would be making a scene right now as she struggled to not go unleash it upon the people who have tormented Hiroto all these years. She took it all the more seriously because it was girls ruining his social image to gain some themselves, a petty behavior she despised when she would occasionally come across it at U.A. or witness it from members of another school...children could be so petty, and she felt they needed to be put in their place when they acted out of line, so it took some great effort of Hiroto's mother to just offer a sympathetic smile and hand on the shoulder instead of go on a hunt.

"Well don't you worry, U.A. isn't going to be anything like that. I bet you'll even be popular once everyone gets over the whole 'former villain' thing."

Pony nodded from beside Hiroto, actually having gotten upset as well at this news...she was quite innocent by nature, so to hear others be so slanderous was a serious offense to her nature.

"If people lie about you I'll beat them up," Pony said plainly, leaving unsaid that she wouldn't punish others for speaking the truth about him...and there was plenty bad there. If someone was going to criticize her 'friend' they better do it about what he did wrong, rather than just bully him with things he hadn't even done. That odd boy Shinso from General Studies had been through something like that too, so Quirk-based discrimination was not unheard of to Pony, but still was disheartening to hear of.

Midnight tried as Pony was doing earlier to steer the conversation clear of the minefield that was Hiroto's past, smiling again as she showed her typical nature, "How about this, do you have a 'type'?"

Of course this statement would mean a lot to most, but meant nothing to the socially-deprived Mustard.

"What do you mean?"

Midnight was all too willing to explain the concept to him though, to Hiroto's soon displeasure.

"Well, my 'type' is big men who are strong but not behemoth bodybuilders...sweet, sensitive, but also able to beat someone to death with their bare hands," smiling innocently, as if she had not said something possibly horrifying to one's child, Midnight asked him again, "So, what's yours?"

It was becoming apparent to Hiroto that his mother had as much experience with a family as he did...this was going to be a learning experience for them both, so he let her odd mannerisms slide even as he tried to deflect on the subject.

"I guess kind and loyal are good traits...I've never really thought about it."

Midnight laughed, thinking that maybe he was just being shy and needed some coaxing, "How about T&A? Do you prefer top heavy or bottom heavy girls? I hear boys talking all the time about that at U.A., so it doesn't hurt to be prepared..."

While he could let some of Midnight's..._Midnightness_ go, Hiroto was about to die from the blood rushing to his cheeks because the girl he _did_ like was sitting right beside him and listening-in on this all with interest like it was just any other casual topic.

"I'd rather not have this conversation...I don't really look at girls much, okay?"

It was a lie. He looked at Pony every time she wasn't looking, but Midnight didn't need to know that...if she didn't already notice.

"Hiro said I'm pretty," Pony casually chimed in, not really thinking much about it but thinking it was relevant to the discussion.

This was music to Midnight's ears, while it was nails on a chalkboard to Hiroto's.

"Oh _did _he?"

Desperate to not reveal his true feelings on the matter, Hiroto spoke the truth: a different truth, but the truth all the same.

"I was explaining why it was so weird that she was bothering being my friend..."

"Well, you _are _quite handsome. You may still be scrawny, but I have faith you'll grow out of it," Midnight leaned on one hand, her elbow upon the table as she looked over at her son whose sandy hair was not messy enough after days in a holding cell that it could detract from his fair features, "Then you'll be tall, handsome, and have a powerful Quirk...girls will be lining up for you someday, you'll see."

As nice as it was to be told this, Hiroto felt it was a bit dampened by the fact it was his mother saying it.

"Of course you say that. You're my mother."

Pony smiled over at Hiroto, seeking to combat his attempt at self-deprecation by speaking a genuine compliment, "She right though. Mustard is bit of pretty boy, like mother is pretty woman."

Before Hiroto could properly process this their order number was called and Pony offered to go get it for everyone, saying she feels she owes Miss Midnight for buying her dinner, and departs from where they all were sitting...time which Midnight uses to give her son a knowing glance.

"Now that we have a moment, I saved something for you."

Hiroto gave her a look of curiosity, not knowing what she could possibly want to show him that needed Pony not to be there...and then Midnight pulled out her phone to show him an image on it.

An image of Pony.

Pony in an American flag Bikini, holding American flags.

...

Hiroto's mind blanked as his face ran red at the sight of it.

"Fourth of July celebration. No need to thank me," Midnight laughed as she confirmed her suspicions concerning the two of them, "You like her, don't you?"

Unable to find his words, Hiroto just nodded silently...there was no denying it at this point, so he may as well be honest with his mother.

Reaching across the table, Midnight kisses him on the forehead again as a way of saying sorry for teasing him while also showing her support as she playfully messes with his hair, "I'll help how I can, but you're the one who has to regain her trust, okay?"

Hiroto could just nod in acceptance of this fact, wondering how Midnight could possibly weigh-in on the matter, or if he even wanted her to given her..._Midnightness_. In the end he just decided to be grateful that his mother was supportive, as some parents may not like the fact he was interested in a horse-cow-looking hybrid...those horns didn't come from a horse after all, so just what kind of chimera being Pony was puzzled Hiroto, but he didn't really care. She was nice to him, and that was all he truly needed.

"Food's here."

He nearly had a heart attack as Pony showed up a moment thereafter, but fortunately she didn't notice the image on Midnight's phone as Midnight took the phone back and thanked Pony for bringing it all on a tray. Hiroto had a feeling he was going to be sent the file later if he were to ever possess a phone or computer...neither of which were out of the question now that he had a parent who would actually care to stay in contact with him.

It was a cute picture...he could just imagine Pony saying that American joking phrase of 'America Fuck Yeah' with that cute yet serious look upon her face, but if he was honest he thought she was cutest when she was just smiling and innocent. She was in some ways Midnight's opposite, and that was fine to him.

During these thoughts on how cute she was, semi-successful attempts to _not_ focus on some of the curvaceous details unveiled to him by the Fourth of July photo, Hiroto had not noticed Pony eating fries from his allotted food...when she had denied a desire to have them earlier.

"Aren't those _my_ fries? You said you didn't want any..."

"Friendship tax," Pony said as she stuffed them in her mouth, only to lean towards him with them hanging half out like a horse eating some grass, "Unlss yu wnt bck."

...

She was joking with him about how she can't give them back really now, but if he wanted to he could take them back with a kiss...something that he likely would not have thought of on his own if not for the influence of Midnight these past few minutes.

...

...

"I'm good."

His mother may be notorious for lewd things, but Hiroto wanted to keep himself to a higher standard. In some ways he already felt like he was the older of the two despite being the child...but he was immature in plenty ways himself, so he figured it would all even out in the end.

Whatever the case may be, he was glad he was with her. He would take a joking, teasing, yet loving mother over one who barely knew if he was in the house any day.

That Pony came as a package deal only sweetened it.

* * *

"I know it's not 'much', but it's new to me too..." Midnight said as she showed Hiroto her new home within the newly constructed faculty dormitory at U.A., "We can work on settling it in together."

Pony was outside fangirling over All Might, who happened to just be returning to his own place within the faculty dorms when they arrived there. It was nighttime already, but that did not deter Pony's youthful energy in speaking to her idol.

This however left Hiroto alone with Midnight, who was being quiet and genuine as she showed him a mostly empty home that had a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom...not the largest house ever, but it was more than enough in his eyes. She had filled it with a few pieces of furniture from where she previously lived, but outside of her room it was scarcely decorated, showing that her intention to fill it up alongside Hiroto was genuine. It was as much his house as hers now, and so they ought to furnish it together.

The only other place to seemingly have any work done on it was the room set aside for Hiroto, for it had within it a new television, an attached video game console, a computer on a desk in the room, and the bed was recently made with fresh blankets and sheets that were the color of Hiroto's poison. Midnight had done her best to work with what little she could really know about Hiroto before to give him a room to come back to, and Mustard felt like he didn't deserve it as he looked at it all...but that shame that crept into his eyes was met by Midnight instantly bringing him into a hug again, her voice supportive yet firm in a way only a mother could truly manage.

"Now, I want you to have a night to actually enjoy yourself for once, but know that just because the government has its own punishment for you doesn't mean I as a parent won't have some of my own. So tonight do whatever you want, but you're grounded starting tomorrow, okay?"

While most children would likely balk at hearing such a thing, Hiroto was actually perfectly fine with this: if she had been his caretaker before what he did he would have broken _so_ many rules that it only made sense that she saw fit to punish him in her own way for awhile apart from anything legal.

He had a mother who cared to punish him for actually bad things, not slight mistakes he made...someone who also wanted him to actually enjoy himself for once, and who he knew loved him.

It might be awkward for some hugging a woman they only just learned was their mother after so many years of calling someone else that, but Hiroto found it still easy to physically show his affection for Midnight: it was awkward to say it, but he knew well enough how to show it in other ways.

"I understand."

"That's a good boy," Midnight pet him softly, taking care not to smother him like he complained about the other day, "Mommy only does it because she loves you so much, so don't get upset. She wants you to grow up into the best person you can be."

...just like with Pony, Hiroto felt his affection for Midnight growing with each moment he spent with her. She would not doubt frustrate him at times, but that wasn't unique...everyone frustrated him at some point or another, such was how tightly wound up he was, so it was no real fault of Midnight. That he genuinely enjoyed being with her in spite of that fact was what made him realize he truly loved her in a way he had struggled with for his last family.

When the hug came to an end Midnight let him explore his room and the house, though soon called after him as he did so while she was settling into the house on her own.

"Oh, also, if you're ever going to have a girl over just let me know. Sometimes teenagers need to work off some of their excess energy in creative ways...I'm somewhat of an expert on the subject, since I had you when I was only a couple years older than you are right now."

Hiroto gagged, stopping what he was doing to physically react to what his mother just said.

He _had _been about to pick up a picture frame of what seemed like Midnight at around his age, his mother much smaller (in about every way) back then when she was wearing a U.A. uniform...he hadn't quite gotten to check who the people with her were, but one seemed to be an insomniac who had passed out before the picture was taken, another looked like he was literally _dragged_ into the photo and was easily identifiable as Aizawa, beside him was a cheerful and young Present Mic who did the dragging, and lastly was some scrawny guy with extremely light-green, almost white hair whose face was obscured by Aizawa trying to fight his way out of the photo.

Instead of inspect it further Hiroto turned to where Midnight's voice came from in her own room so he could respond.

"That's _not _going to happen."

"Not with that attitude it won't!" Midnight laughed, "Not that I'm saying I want you to make me a grandmother when I'm barely thirty, but just know that I won't be mad if you have 'sleepovers'. It's perfectly normal, so fool around as much as you like...just don't foal around, if you catch my drift."

Hiroto found himself thanking All Might for distracting Pony outside, as he may have died if she heard that last bit and understood the pun...knowing Pony she likely wouldn't have, but he didn't want to dare chance it.

He would have time to look at photos later, but right now he wanted to spend the night with Pony...he didn't have Jin-Roh, but Midnight seemed to have a collection of Studio Ghibli films so perhaps they could indulge in that instead. Bit of a different subject matter, but Pony was a 'weaaboo' so chances were she would be fine with it.

Mustard knew Midnight would not let the fact he just watched a movie with a girl on his bed go for likely weeks, but he was just happy to have shared a movie with someone for once...he never got to choose them back with his old family, but here he felt free to do as he pleased for his own entertainment...he didn't have to watch the things he liked alone.

Pony had enjoyed the movie "Kiki's Delivery Service", and was insistent on calling him Tombo now after the movie's main male protagonist, but he let it go since it was kind of cute...maybe he could invite her over to watch even more films when he was done being grounded.

* * *

When it was time for Pony to leave however due to how late it had gotten Hiroto found himself being guided to the door as well by Midnight, who insisted that it was a gentleman's duty to properly say goodbye and not just have Pony leave by herself.

Standing outside in the hallway to their home, Pony finished saying her goodbyes to Midnight, who promptly closed the door on the two of them so they could say goodbye 'alone'. Pony paused a moment when she heard Aizawa grumbling down the hallway as he entered his own room, something about a 'Joke', and when they were truly alone again she looked her friend in the eye with a certain sincerity Hiroto hadn't expected.

"Mustard?"

He nodded, not knowing where this was going, so he just wanted her to continue.

"You get second chance, so don't hurt Pony or friends again...okay?"

The way she said it was soft, but it was also a threat: she wasn't going to accept him doing what he did again. She was willing to give him a second chance, but she wasn't going to accept him being a villain or harming her friends again.

While he did not intend to, Hiroto felt uneasy with such an arrangement all the same...he could promise to never hurt her, but it was hard to make the same promise about people he barely knew.

"I will try not to...I promise."

Pony seemed less than pleased about this qualifier, "Try?"

"I'm an arrogant jerk, someone is probably going to get upset at something I say at some point...probably often," Hiroto admitted self-deprecatingly, rubbing his head as he tried to get past his own admission of his faults, "But so long as I have you and my mother I don't intend to be a Villain, or to hurt others...you two mean everything to me now."

The sincerity paid back to her saw Pony soften her near grimace from a moment before, looking at Hiroto with sympathy as she realized that he meant what he was saying...he really didn't have anything left, and so he was telling the truth when he said he didn't want to do something that would lose her.

It was odd being so important to someone else, but Pony found that she didn't really mind...if it meant she had a dear friend, then what was wrong with it?

"Pony won't abandon you like Villains did. Will persevere through anything for friend," she said in return, taking Hiroto's hand in her own as a sign of support.

Hiroto bowed his head, partially to hide his blush but also to show that he meant it when he said his next words, "Thank you Pony...you're a good friend."

With that they parted ways, Pony heading to where she had already moved into her new dorm and Hiroto returning to his own home he now shared with Midnight...he was even smiling in a day-dreaming fashion as he took a seat in the living room where only a couch, bookcase, and television atop a cabinet marked it as anything but an empty room.

"She's a cute girl..." Midnight remarks just as Hiroto sits down, joining him so she can bring an arm around him as a sign of motherly affection...only to then remind her son the kind of person she was in the very next moment, "She's also a lot more stacked now compared to back when you met her. Did you see those things?"

Hiroto went from smiling at the mere thought of Pony's cute smile to gagging at the sudden comment by his mother, eventually responding like a sheepish seven year old.

"Mom..."

Midnight chuckled as she realized how out of his depth he was suddenly, "What? You said you liked her, you had to have noticed."

"I try not to look..."

"Like you totally weren't looking at her backside when she was leaving? Took you a bit to come back inside..."

_How did she..._

Hiroto paused and took a breath, trying to fight the evil images being put inside his head by his mother even as his face remained permanently blushed.

"You're so cute when you blush, you know that?" Midnight remarked, poking Hiroto in the cheek playfully as she brought him into another hug.

"Stop filling my mind with poison. I get enough of it when I inhale my Quirk."

"You know, it doesn't work on me, but I bet if you train your Quirk enough you can make it like perfume...mine already has a greater effect on men, so yours likely is attractive to girls."

"...do you really think that would work?" realizing what he had said, Hiroto quickly added, "And why would I?"

"Maybe if you get attention from some other girls Pony will get jealous and want to have you for herself..." Midnight winked down at him, "Worth a shot, don't you think?"

In a sign of how different he was in temperament to his mother, Hiroto shook his head no in disagreement, "She's my friend, and that's all I want right now. I don't want to lose her just because I..."

_Because I like her and she doesn't like me._

Both he and his mother knew what he intended to say, yet couldn't.

Just because she was supportive of Hiroto's romantic endeavors did not mean she was going to force anything, and so Midnight nodded in understanding: it was important he do things his own way, even if she would support him in whatever he chose to do, "Take your time...I'm just giving you ideas."

"T-thanks..."

...

...

The silence brought Midnight to frown, wondering what it was that had her son so quiet all of a sudden: he certainly liked hearing himself talk as a villain after all, so what was wrong now?

"Hiro, is something the matter?"

...

It takes him another moment, but then he finally sighs and lets her in on the thoughts going through his mind.

"You and Pony are the only people who have ever wanted me...my adoptive family ignored me, I always resented how they treated me and my 'brother' differently, but now..."

Now he was actually feeling wanted. Appreciated. Like he somehow belonged, even if he felt like he shouldn't...it was odd, but he couldn't get over it.

Sensing how tender his emotions must be, Midnight deepened her hug and brought her forehead down so that it was touching her son's head, "It's alright...no matter what others think or do, you'll always have me. I won't make the same mistake twice."

He was crying into her chest, his pent up emotions letting loose not that he was able to have someone's shoulder to truly cry upon...it was easy to forget given his power and intelligence that he was at the end of the day still only a fourteen year old child, and Midnight did not want to lose out on another moment of his life so long as she could be a part of it.

"How about I make us some popcorn and we watch something together? We used to do that when I'd get home and you would wake up for awhile..."

Wiping his eyes on his sleeve, Hiroto composed himself and nodded to her.

"Sure..."

His first night in his new home would not be in his bed, but rather asleep in the arms of his mother, each of them having dozed off thanks to the comfort the other provided. No longer did Midnight have to have a sleepless night in worry over whether her child was doing well wherever he was, and finally she could begin picking up some of the pieces she had let scatter in her life years ago when she made the painful decision to give up her child for his own good.

They both were flawed, but neither of them sought perfection...they were mother and son, and that was enough.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to D. , Spartan3909, John Prodman, and Maddox139 for your reviews last chapter, and Searchsnake00103, tinalouisebelcher, Soviet commander, and Maddox139 for favoriting/following the story as well! I appreciate the support and hope you will continue to enjoy!**

**Thank you for reading, and if you have any thoughts please let me know in the reviews below!**


	9. The Day

**Chapter 9: ****The Day**

* * *

_..._

_..._

_...zzzzz..._

**"My breath has stopped at 5 in the morning  
A calm that spreads before the storming  
Biting my nails at emergency exits  
Tell me where is tomorrow?  
The day has come!"**

_..._

_..._

_...so loud..._

**"The night won't let us see the sun  
The rain will last till the next millennium  
I hate to say both are here to stay in this world we share."**

_..._

_..._

_...sleep..._

**"Still it's not odd in the slightest  
You're walking half-asleep and you're tripping like this  
I'm not one to criticize it, even if I care."**

_...half-asleep...yes..._

_...what was I dreaming of again..._

_..._

_...Pony..._

**"Play alone in your fantasy  
Ashamed to show  
The things that you're imagining,  
What do you see?"**

_..._

"Hiro, are you up yet?"

_..._

_..._

**"The maze is twisting, ever twisting  
Do you plan to see what you're missing  
The sound of a bell from a tiny adventurer signals a new beginning."**

...

**"Are you sure that you're not shaking?  
Such uncertain roads you're taking  
Every step that you take it is changing you  
Where is tomorrow?  
The day has come!"**

...

"Hiro..."

...

**"Some of them will never really get it  
Some of them will say they do but they're pretending  
I hate to say both are here to stay in this world we share."**

...

**"The world has not been heaven-sent  
The world is not in hell just yet  
Existing in between, a silver lining there."**

...you can say that again...

...

**"The cards will show  
What tomorrow brings  
The wind will blow;  
The future it is carrying  
What will it be?"**

...

**"The maze is twisting, ever twisting  
Do you plan to see what you're missing  
The sound of a bell from a tiny adventurer signals a new beginning."**

...

"Guess I should at least set the table while you finish waking up...you're doing it tomorrow though Hiro."

...

**"Are you sure that you're not shaking?  
Such uncertain roads you're taking  
Every step that you take it is changing you  
Where is tomorrow?  
The day has come!"**

**"You know you want to keep on believing  
What your open eyes have been seeing  
As you cower long before the dawn  
All your darkest nightmares have been coming true  
So cry on, cry on."**

...

**"Real survivors, strength undying  
Stabbing backs and always lying  
Those who survive till the end are the winners  
Fairness is just an illusion."**

...fairness...

"Okay Hiro, it's time you woke up. Your Entrance Exam is today, and I don't want you being late for it."

_...oh, right...that._

_How troublesome..._

"Pony will be here any minute for breakfast with us, so make sure you're presentable alright?"

_...awake now._

**"Secret hunter, creeping toward you  
Worldly whispers, tries to warn you  
Sharpening claws on emergency exits  
Tell me where is tomorrow?  
The day has come!"**

_What a peculiar song..._

Pony had recommended it and so Hiroto had downloaded the song, it apparently being some English cover to a Japanese song...to Hiroto he could just barely understand its English incarnation, but the same could be said for Pony with the Japanese version so he supposed it made sense she liked this one more.

The last of the song's verses had played by the time Hiroto found the custom alarm he set on his new computer, the teenage boy not yet possessing an alarm clock of his own to use. Midnight had promised to go out shopping with him when they got the opportunity, but she had left unsaid that she was waiting on his entrance exam placements to see just what he would need. If he was going to be in the Hero Course then he would need different things than if he were to be in the Support or even General Studies courses.

Since he moved in things had been a bit awkward between him and Midnight, not in a negative sense but rather the natural consequence of a mother and son being reunited after so long: Midnight did not want to overstep her bounds since she knew her son was still tightly wound about his past trauma, and Mustard wanted to be a good son to her yet did not know quite how to show it since he had never really gotten feedback on his life's attempts at doing just that to another family...so each was left to flounder as they tried to find common ground and bond.

This said, they were not on bad terms: they were growing closer each day by just spending time with one another, and whenever Midnight was not busy doing something for U.A. she was making sure Hiroto felt comfortable in his new home. He may be 'grounded', but she would regularly invite Pony over so that he could spend time and enjoy himself now and again...if he was doing his chores (not that there were many in the sparsely decorated home yet) and following directions (up to and including not fiddling with the ankle bracelet he was forced to wear), then she saw no reason not to reward him for good behavior.

It was about tie someone did after all.

For Midnight it was a blessing just to have her son back, to be able to make a difference in his life and show him that he was loved, so she was fine with all the additional responsibilities being a parent brought with it. Hiroto made it easy on her since he was easily contented by just watching a movie with her (though his method of watching things was to critique it in real-time for bad writing or other readily apparent flaws) or just being allowed to read a history book Midnight would have for her classes. It was obvious he wasn't a naturally destructive or violent person, and when given more positive outlets he was far from the wannabe Villain he was before.

Hearing that news had mortified Midnight...that Hiroto had joined the League of Villains and hurt her students. To think that the child she had raised for some time, fed at her own breast, showered with love, and eventually put up for adoption had ended up in such a place made her not furious at Hiroto, but rather at herself for failing as a mother. She had not been able to be a career Hero, where she would work long hours as a new Pro and where she could end up hospitalized any day of the week, and be a mother at the same time...and his father had been the same.

Neither could be actual parents to Hiroto despite trying for well over a year, so they did what they thought was the responsible thing and gave him up to another family that could show Hiroto the love he needed and give him the time every parent should grant to their child. Not quick drop-ins at the house before another long shift, only to have to leave him alone the rest of the day. Older Pros may be able to work at the right agency or find the time given their positions in one, but for teenagers it wasn't feasible.

So Nemuri found herself smiling as Hiroto found a place at their dining table, even if his eyes were groggy and it was obvious he hadn't wanted to get up as early as seven AM this morning...he was here, and, even if he was grumpy like anyone in the morning would be, he was together with people who cared for him.

Pony also was beaming as she sat across from Mustard, glad to have been invited for yet another meal at her teacher's home: Midnight had made sure to reach out to her after Hiroto moved in and ask Pony to come visit whenever possible, which for the foreign girl with no family or relatives nearby meant she was free to do so all the time. It was nice having someone make such an offer, as while U.A.'s food was good she preferred a home-cooked meal without always being the one to make it...she only could do so much back at the 1-B dorms, so eating with the Kayamas was far preferable overall.

Hiroto would not be himself if he did not in some way question or criticize something, so instead of acknowledge his awkward blushing at the sight of Pony in her school uniform he decided to mention the fact that she was here at all.

"You're up early..."

"Don't really have sleep schedule, so Pony can adapt it as needed now," she explained, being far more energetic than her groggy friend right now.

Hiroto winced as he thought about not being able to sleep regularly, and in spite of himself showed a degree of sympathy, "That sounds horrible."

He was right of course, it was difficult, but Pony shrugged since she had gotten used to it and was just slowly coming to get used to sleeping a full night again, "Rough when first moved to Japan, but better now. Useful for waking up when needed."

Without more to say on the subject Hiroto just nodded, glancing next over at his mom to see what she was up to...only to find her leaning down on one hand and smiling at him like a lovesick teenager. Of course it wasn't the same, she was just so happy to be with him, but Hiroto couldn't help but wish it was _Pony_ looking at him like that...sure she was smiling, but she was almost _always_ smiling so he just took that for granted now.

As the three ate the food provided by Midnight there was a bit of quiet, each of the women present respecting that Hiroto was tired, but eventually he was the one to broach a conversation again when he got to thinking what was ahead of him today.

"Remind me of the test they decided on again?"

Truth be told he had not been informed much, and so he had not been able to really prepare...especially since he could not practice his Quirk without a gas mask, and he couldn't just do it outside while holding his breath unless he wanted to accidentally gas a student and end up in prison. He presumed that this lack of preparation was part of the intended goal, a way of testing him as he was rather than allow him to figure out ways to game the system (like he did on the fly at the first Entrance Exam by gassing another student and stealing their weapon), but it did make it harder on him as a result.

Midnight was slightly worried about it, but she tried not to show it as she responded to him, "You are going to be pitted against some of your potential classmates in the Hero Course...to prevent you from finding a way to cheat whatever system put in place Aizawa has kept the details close to the chest, but what I do know is you will be able to get some kind of assistance...that is why Pony is coming too."

What that assistance meant was vaguely defined as of yet, as was who he would be facing, but Hiroto figured he could take out quite a few members of Class 1-A...just not that girl who could make things. If her being able to make a gas mask didn't completely negate his fighting potential, the fact he heard she would partially disrobe to create objects would mean he'd be rendered unconscious anyways. According to Midnight the girl had wanted an even more revealing costume to show more skin thus allowing her to more readily create things, but alas the same rules that were put into place because of Midnight were why the girl was turned down...Midnight was disappointed, but Hiroto was forever thankful.

Pony nodded her head in agreement to Midnight's statement, having done some preparations of her own for this event since she wasn't sure what was going to happen but wanted to be prepared regardless...she wasn't locked away in Midnight's house the way Hiroto was most of the time, so her ability to ready herself was far more flexible than his, "Pony invite friends to come watch too. All going to be in same class so they support too."

So some of class 1-B would be there too it seemed...that could prove interesting, even if they were nothing but cheerleaders. Having someone to root for him was something he wasn't familiar with, but he liked the idea...

...and he now was stuck thinking about Pony in that cheerleading outfit the 1-A girls wore at the Sports Festival, even that invisible one. It was that cheerleader outfit that made him truly appreciate how dangerous the female form could be, as it was quite distracting...he could be bashful all he wanted about how Midnight dressed, but he couldn't deny that it was actually a weapon all on its own. He was pragmatic at heart so could appreciate such things, even if it left him blushing and unable to meet his mother's eye with others around when she was wearing her Hero costume.

And speaking of Hero costumes...he still lacked one. In fact, due to the restrictions on him possessing a gas mask at all, Hiroto was worried he would be utterly screwed today during his test since he honestly couldn't hold his breath as long as he would likely need to win a fight.

"What about my mask?"

Having thought it through as well, Pony nodded to reassure him that everything was alright, "Pony had mask you gave her, but friend is borrowing it for morning. She promise to bring it back by test time, so you no gas self."

Midnight affirmed her statement by citing an official sanction she had been granted by All Might, Hawks, and a reluctant yet understanding Rock Lock, "You will be allowed to use it today for this test only, but when the test is over be sure to turn it in so you don't get in trouble."

The fact he was so restricted chafed against his pride, but he couldn't honestly complain since he brought this upon himself...he still _wanted_ to complain, he just couldn't in good faith.

"Fine..."

Ever cheerful, Pony spoke up about her faith in Hiroto's victory today over whatever would come his way, "Pony thinks Hiro will win. Hiro is real strong, even if skinny silly boy."

It was a compliment even if he was called skinny and silly, so Hiroto found his eyes facing the floor as he awkwardly showed his appreciation, "T-thanks...I think."

He may be prideful, even arrogant, but he wasn't actually used to being complimented at all. When Midnight would do it he would be left near speechless, unsure how to respond properly since a lifetime of being ignored or denigrated left him in quite unfamiliar waters when praise came around. She would roll with it, understanding of course, but she kept showing how proud she was of him in various ways so that maybe one day he would be able to properly look someone in the eye when they said something nice about him.

Before anything could come of the exchange however a noise came from beside Pony, and she nearly dropped the glass of apple juice she had been about to drink (her favorite, which Midnight had made sure to stock up on) in response trying to reach for the phone now playing a ring tone.

**"In un mondo splendido,  
colorato e magico,  
Little Ponies vivono  
in pace e sempre  
in armonia!"**

Knowing that it wasn't English, and it sure wasn't Japanese, Mustard was left confused as to what language he was hearing or why he thought he heard Pony's name in it anyways...but soon Pony was standing and bowing to Midnight as if to be excused.

"Sorry, parents calling. May answer?"

Midnight hated phones in her classroom, but this was far different so she gave a friendly smile and nod to the girl instead of her usual lecture about how rude it was to interrupt a class with such devices, "Sure, go right ahead Pony."

"Thanks Midnight Senpai Teacher!"

She rushed off to the living room to not bother them with another conversation while they ate, though it took Pony a moment to actually pick up the call as a result: this left Hiroto to listen to a good chunk of her remaining ring tone, wondering all the while just what language this was.

**"Il Sole fanno splendere,  
le piante fanno crescere, poi,  
la gioia fanno accendere,  
se li conoscerai!**

**Vola e vai, My Little Pony!  
Se nuovi amici vorrai incontrare,  
prendi il volo, ascolta il cuore,  
e d'ogni avventura potrai affrontare!  
Vola e vai, My Little Pony!  
Realizza i tuoi sogni—"**

It sounded European, so maybe Pony was a fan of some Italian band or something.

_Figures she would chose something with her name in it...not many songs with 'Hiroto' in them though._

Unaware about Hiroto's musings, Pony began her conversation with her parents in a joyful tone: it was always nice to hear from them even if they had to call at odd hours due to being on the other side of the world. It was far more comfortable for her to speak with them than anyone in Japan too, as not only were they her family, they did something else important: they spoke English.

_"Hi Papa, hi Mama! How are you doing?"_

_"We're fine, Sugarcube. Just wanted to check in on ya given all you've told us about...things have sounded quite intense recently."_

_"There isn't some cagacazzo boy I've got to shock some sense into, is there?"_

Pony tried not to giggle at her father's interjection, their phone obviously being on speakerphone to allow both to talk to her.

_"No Papa, everythang is okay over here. Ah'm helpin' a friend through a rough patch, and today is real important ta him, so ah'm having ma other friends help me out in supportin' him."_

_"So there is a boy! What's his name? I promise if you tell me now I will only skewer him once...or twice if he deserves it."_

_"Quiet Lambo, Pony 'can handle a boy," _Pony's mother chided her husband playfully, _"That being said, this that problem child ya told us about? Poison-gas kid with the Japanese cartoon mask you like so much?"_

Pony stifled a laugh as her father grumbled about it being called 'anime', the Italian man having grown up in Japan and passed down some of its finer aspects to his daughter even if Pony got her primary nationality and accent from her mother.

_"Ya Mama, it's ma friend Hiro. He's nice, but his mama and papa were real mean ta him...everyone was, so he made some mistakes, but now he has'a second chance ta prove himself."_

_"Well ah think yer being a good friend, so keep it up 'hon. From what you've told us he's gonna be a lot better off now that he's with his real mother...even if she dresses a bit funny."_

From an early age Pony had been instilled with a certain set of values, and among them were loyalty and care for one's friends and family: it helped that like the Pro Hero Godzillo her mother had a movie and TV series with character based after her which focused on such subjects, allowing Pony to grow up watching a fictionalized version of her mother do heroic things...watching such videos got her into watching them online, and brought Pony to finding out about All Might, with her worship of him stemming from this very hobby.

_"Miss Midnight is a good teacher, but she is kind'a silly. She's really nice ta me though."_

Hiroto was _trying_ to listen-in on Pony's conversation, but he wasn't really great at English to begin with and so he could just get small snippits from across the house especially since he was trying to act as if he wasn't listening in...he didn't want to appear nosy to either his mother or Pony herself. He just was fascinated with hearing someone talk to their family who missed them enough to call them...

Despite his attempts to appear as if he wasn't paying attention he was soon caught by Midnigh, who winked at him when his name was mentioned, showing that she too was listening in covertly. Since he couldn't hide it now, Hiroto just decided to talk about it freely.

"She seems a lot more comfortable when speaking English."

Normally Pony struggled with her Japanese and it was obvious that she was trying, yet failing, which had to be frustrating since she knew it was wrong yet didn't know how to correct herself...now she was talking freely and happily with her parents, and even if Hiroto had no real idea what they were saying he was happy for her that she could at least do this.

Midnight, being Midnight, had a completely different subject on her mind when her son decided to broach the conversation the way he did, "Maybe when you are in class together you could tutor her in Japanese, and she could help you with Hizashi...Present Mic's class."

She corrected herself since she did not expect Hiroto to have learned everyone's first names yet, though he didn't seem to care since he was still listening in on Pony...though he wasn't so tuned out that he couldn't respond to her.

"What about yours?"

"Are you nervous about taking class with your dear mother?" Midnight couldn't help but tease him, grinning in a cheeky way before relaxing it into a warmer smile, "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you...not on purpose at least. I also won't give you a free ride, so don't expect an automatic A, okay?"

Hiroto wasn't exactly hoping she would, but hearing she wouldn't left him a bit worried that she would grade him harsher than anyone else...all the more reason to perform well in her class he supposed, and he liked History anyways so he would be motivated to study it anyways.

"Okay..."

Over in the living room Pony's conversation with her parents was winding down, with her mother speaking to her with the kind understanding one would expect of a mother.

_"You've got a busy day ahead'a ya, so we won't keep you long. Just wanted to see how ya were holdin' up with everything."_

_"Thank you Mama, thank you Papa. Ah hope ya'll are doing well too!"_

"Things are going just fine over here. Bein' a Pro Hero isn't easy work at times, but it sure is rewardin'."

Pony nodded, agreeing completely with the sentiment, _"Ah'll be the best Hero ah can be, just like All Might, or Mama and Papa."_

_"You just keep workin' hard and someday you'll be able to be one'a us like us or yer Aunt Dash and Uncle Soarin!"_

Her father chimed in right after, building off of what his wife was saying, _"Part of working hard is not messing around with boys, so remember to stay out of trouble! And if some cretino boy is annoying you don't forget to show him who's boss, just like I taught you."_

Pony laughed along with her mother at her father's silly behavior, for while he was quite the quiet and reserved guy usually occasionally a childish side would show itself that they each enjoyed.

_"Been awhile since ah've seen yer father this riled up...ah'll go deal with him, you have a nice day now okay Sugarcube?"_

_"Bye Mama, bye Papa!"_

With the call over she hung up and went back to the dining table to resume breakfast casually, though Hiroto's curiosity had been stoked and he didn't just let her off without saying a word when rejoining them.

"So, what's up?"

Pony shrugged while also giving a smile, showing that it wasn't a big deal but that it wasn't an issue either, "Parents sometimes call after work. Want see how Pony doing."

"Oh, alright," Hiroto responded softly, perhaps a bit _too_ softly, showing his tender emotions on the subject of parents checking in on their children...he hadn't been called by Midnight really yet since she was physically with him most the time, but once they started spending time apart he hoped she would bother to call him now and again. He didn't like the thought of being away from her now, having formed a bit of a clingy nature towards his mother now that he actually had her in his life.

Sensing his mood, Pony decided to change things a bit to be more playful as she winks over at Hiroto the way she has seen Midnight do, "Father warns me stay away from boys to focus on studying. Mother says help boy who needs help. Very conflicting parents, but loving."

Realizing that she was teasing him, Hiroto just blushed and looked down at his food while Midnight was the one to respond, her own smile having continued on in spite of Hiroto's brief sorrow since she saw how Pony purposefully tried to lift up his mood.

"It's nice to hear that, Pony. If they're ever here in Japan feel free to invite them over, I would love to meet them."

"Sound good! Father take business trip here sometime to meet with business associates, so should happen someday."

He had 'family' here like he had 'family' in Italy that he would invite over to family gatherings, but wasn't actually related to...he didn't have a last name originally and so made one for himself to mirror after a mentor of his, Tsunayoshi becoming Tsunotori, so even if she didn't see them often Pony knew that her father enjoyed taking trips to visit his global family. That meant he would come to Japan sometime, and when he did he could meet Miss Midnight...and Hiroto, though Pony was a bit worried about that part.

After all, being a protective father who had bull-like horns atop his head, he might just skewer poor Hiroto by mistakenly believing him a boyfriend rather than a friend who happens to be a boy. Her father was silly like that, just like Hiroto was a 'silly-boy'.

Having finished his meal, Hiroto stood up and bowed to his mother, "May I be excused? I need to get ready."

Wanting him to be ready, Midnight wasn't going to stand in his way to preparing for today's test even if she would like him to spend forever with her and Pony just chatting, "Of course."

Pony waved goodbye to Hiroto as he began to depart for his room, "See you soon Hiro-fren."

"B-bye..."

With him gone a new silence filled the air, though it did not last long: as soon as Mustard closed his door to change for the day's events Midnight pounced on the opportunity to talk with Pony again.

"Pony?"

Curious what was on the older woman's mind, Pony tilted her head and responded, "Yes Miss Midnight-teacher?"

"Thank you..." Midnight had bowed her head and clasped her hands together as if she was praying, a serious aura having swept over the previously relaxed woman, "Thank you for giving Hiroto a second chance. You didn't have to, you could have forgotten all about him or been vindictive, but..."

Even if he was awkward around her, it was obvious just how much Hiroto cared for Pony: and that was not something Midnight took for granted. The girl supported him in ways Midnight as his mother could not, and so she was eternally grateful for the American girl's aid in rehabilitating Hiroto.

Realizing what Midnight was getting at, Pony reached across the table and took her teacher's hands into her own, smiling as Midnight looked up in a bit of confusion.

"Helping those who need it is what Heroes do," Pony stated, though soon her expression became bashful in a way reminiscent of Mustard's own occasional looks, "I was new here when take Entrance Exam, nobody really wanted to talk to girl who barely spoke language, but Hiro was willing to be friend. He saved me from test-machines, and I always felt bad Mustard didn't get to join the Hero Course too...his Quirk was better, he was smart, and he really wanted it."

For all his flaws Pony did genuinely admire qualities about Hiroto, and that was why she was able to support him in spite of what he did: she knew he could be better, and wanted him to be. That was the 'Hiro' she admired since they first met.

"I don't want friend to be bad guy. I want good Hiro who will watch anime with me, be a Hero, and not be lonely sad boy he was before."

A sense of relief washed over Midnight as she realized that Pony was on the same page as her.

"I want that too," Nemuri responded, able to relax more now that she knew she wasn't alone in redeeming her son and turning his life around. There was a girl with a good heart looking out for him too, not just a mother filled with regrets, and with that in mind the fears of Hiroto slipping back into villainy began to fade away.

* * *

"I thought this was going to be some kind of duel...what's the entirety of Class 1-A doing here?"

True to form, Hiroto groaned about the sight of twenty other students lined up in the training gymnasium set aside for the test today. It was empty, being a facility made by Cementoss to be used for testing Quirks and modified as needed, but today saw it bereft of structures except the walls and roof.

There was a wide open playground to have the test in, whatever it was, and Hiroto was a bit worried about what that meant.

Aizawa stood before his class with a bored expression upon his face, obviously not wanting to be here but having to be as the officiator of the event, "It has come to my attention that Hiroto has made the claim that he can defeat an entire class here at U.A., and given his Quirk it is not particularly an outrageous boast..." he held out a hand to his class to show them off, "As such it would only be fair to test him based on whether his crowd-control capabilities really are enough to make up for the other glaring weaknesses of his Quirk. Class 1-A will be facing against Hiroto as a group, with the sole exception of one student who I will allow him to ban from participating."

Midnight, who had accompanied Hiroto and Pony to the event to cheer on her son, was restraining the urge to strangle her friend with her whip...if only she had it, having opted for a normal set of civilian clothes so she would not negatively impact Hiroto's performance, "Nineteen against one is still hardly fair."

Pony was pouting at the sight of Class 1-A being there all together to face Hiroto, only having managed to convince a couple of her own classmates to even show up and they were not even here yet...two were coming for certain, and another had said he would consider it. Then there was Mei who said she would be there, but Pony was now worried may not show up...seeing that Hiroto was facing a far greater challenge than expected put her into a fearful state for his success now whereas before she was confident in his ability to win against almost anyone in 1-A.

Fortunately for them, Aizawa was not entirely unfair, and he responded in his usual bored tone, "And that is why any student who wishes to join Hiroto and assist him today is allowed to, and that any students that would rather not participate are allowed to as well. We are testing his potential as a Hero, and if his own peers who will have to trust and work alongside him one day are unwilling to assist him then there is no point in him even joining the Hero Course."

_That_ was a sudden relief, and validated Pony's instructions to Mei: she let out a breath of relief as she looked over at Hiroto, wondering if he was feeling at all similar...and from the way his shoulders settled down as tension faded from them she got the sense he was. Hiroto was prideful, but he wasn't stupid: Class 1-A had notoriously powerful students in it, and he couldn't surprise them all like he had 1-B at the training camp.

"Put simply, this is a way for us to test Hiroto's Quirk and the belief those around him possess in him at present...public opinion towards him will only matter if he is aiming for rankings, not doing an actually good job as a Pro Hero. The trust of his companions will be irreplaceable, whereas the outside noise of what others think is trivial. If he wants to pass today he will need those who do matter to support him."

While it was a harsh test surely, it was not without its fairness...it was a good measure of how Hiroto would perform from here, and so neither Pony nor Midnight complained further...Mustard himself kept silent despite his propensity for denigrating other things he didn't like, likely aware of the fact he was only given the opportunity of Pony's assistance by Aizawa's good graces (what few of them there were). He didn't expect any other help other than his gas mask arriving, so he would have to find out a way to take out more than ten students by himself and a way for Pony to similarly.

"To even the playing field, and to properly inform Hiroto of his choices of who to ban, Class 1-A will introduce themselves and their Quirks. I do not intend to be here all day, so make it quick," Aizawa continued.

Hiroto looked over at Class 1-A more closely now, and at the front of their group he noticed a blonde boy he was unfamiliar with who seemed to possess a certain...flair of oddness to him. He was even wearing shiny armor that didn't look too useful for protection, but it was _something_ at least.

"Oh, you want to know about moi? You may refer to me as Aoyama, he who Cannot Stop Twinkling: my Quirk allows me to fire a laser beam from my stomach."

_Twilight Vampire. Seems weak._

Beside him was a pink girl with odd horns atop her head, and whereas the boy had been oddly enthusiastic the girl was extremely chipper in her own way as well.

"I'm Mina, and I can spray acid!"

_Pinkie Pie. Somewhat of a threat..._

Next was a small girl who held her arms in front of her in an odd way that made him think 'frog', which when paired with her long tongue sticking out briefly made Hiroto feel validated when she explained her Quirk.

"Tsuyu Asui, and I can do whatever a frog can."

_Frogger. Useless._

After the animal-girl was a taller boy with a muscular build, this one being someone Mustard recognized from his time studying U.A.'s students with the League of Villains.

"I am Tenya Iida, and I can use the engines in my legs to increase my speed to Superhuman levels."

_Robocop? Ehh, good enough. Maybe I can get Frogger to play in traffic...he would be a problem if he's not tangled up._

After the younger brother of one of Hiroto's judges (not that he knew) was a smaller girl who wasn't deathly thin like the frog, yet still slight overall with chestnut hair and a pink hero uniform.

More distracting to Mustard was the way she casually moved her hands back and forth in a way that reminded him of disgusting acts boys his age talked about at his previous school. It was as odd as the Tenya kid moving like he was a robot, but this one was inherently more distracting.

"I'm Ochaco, and my Quirk lets me remove the gravitational pull of things I touch."

_Handjob Two, the Reckoning...how does she get away with those hand motions? Whatever...she's dangerous if she gets too close._

After her was a boy who Hiroto was certain he would forget having looked at as soon as he saw him: he was just so plain...except for the large, thick tail sprouting from her lower back that was. Despite his plain nature he seemed to be quite tense, glaring at Mustard fiercely, making Hiroto wonder just whatever he did to irritate him...did he hit him with the poison gas by chance?

"Mashirao Oijiro, and I have a tail I can use as if it were another limb."

_Monkey-man. Easy as his nickname. Maybe he can be King-Kong if he impresses me...not likely though. What a useless Quirk._

Having a tail wouldn't let him escape poison gas, so Hiroto felt no fear from the guy in a martial arts uniform. Instead he focused on his next opponent, another boy who seemed irritated at him for some odd reason.

"Kaminari, and I can generate electricity around my body so you better watch out!"

_Pikachu. I remember his file...dangerous, but only if he gets close. Take him out at range and that danger is theirs to deal with..._

Pikachu looked over down the line at a girl when his turn was done, his face being one of concern when he glanced at the goth-chick there with long ear-lobes that looked like headphone jacks...maybe he liked her and _she_ had been hit by the gas? Perhaps they were just friends...whatever the case, Hiroto realized why maybe some of the class was more upset at him than others. A glance over at Monkey showed him giving an invisible girl a similar look of concern, cementing in Mustard's mind their motivations and reasons for disliking him...as well as how to perhaps use it to his advantage.

He barely looked back in time to focus on the next student announce their name and Quirk, though when he did he realized he had no need: he knew this red headed boy from the Sports Festival.

"Kirishima, and I can turn my skin to stone."

_Tetsutetsu's doppelganger...pretty much useless here once his breath runs out. He beat Terminator at the U.A. Sports Festival by a hair, but I've learned from facing that metal moron._

After him was an odd looking kid that seemed like a rock creature of sorts, though to Hiroto's surprise that had nothing to do with his Quirk.

"K...Koji...and I can ta-talk to animals..."

_Disney Princess. Worthless here in this gymnasium with no animals but Frogger and the Bird guy down the line. Why did he even show up?_

After the waste of a slot was a muscular kid that was taller and larger than most of the others, though like the plain boy before Hiroto felt like he was forgetting his existence just by looking at him.

"Sato, and I can eat sugar to gain super-strength."

_Heart Attack. Even more useless than Doppelganger._

Next was another tall boy, being the tallest one of his class with a grotesque set of octopus-like limbs spawning from his back and a mask to cover his mouth.

"Shoji. I can spawn extra limbs and body parts."

_Señor Octopus. He may be able to figure out where I am in my poison gas..._

With his introduction done it was time for the goth chick that Pikachu was looking at, but her own eyes were fiercely placed upon Mustard with irritation deeply embedded in her glare to her very core.

"Jiro, and I look forward to kicking your ass with my Quirk: it lets me use my earlobes to project my heart-beat as a sonic attack or to sense and hear things."

_Goth-AM, Jack-off...so many options...but seeing as I don't have ear-plugs she is actually dangerous. I bet those speakers on her legs are for sonic attacks._

The closest student to sounding friendly came after, perhaps as a way of bouncing the mood back from Jiro's obvious irritation: Hiroto was pretty certain he knocked her out with his gas attack before, and was irritated to see that this guy had a helmet built into his costume that would prevent such a thing.

"Hanta Sero, and I can create tape from my elbows!"

_Cellophane, Cellophane, does whatever a Cellophane does...maybe he's not as useless as he sounds since he got into U.A., but tape? Really?_

Hiroto would keep an eye on him, curious about how strong tape could really be...and remembering now that Midnight spoke of a test she gave where she knocked out a student before he could use his tape Quirk. Chances were this was that student, so he probably was prepared for yet another poison gas encounter...he could prove to be one of the few true threats.

After him came the person with the easiest nickname for Hiroto to come up with: a bird-person whose very presence screamed edgy. From his body a shadowy entity was emitted, and Hiroto vaguely remembered him being on the optional 'capture' list by the League of Villains thanks to his nature and Quirk.

"I am Tokoyami, and my Quirk allows me to control Dark Shadow, a being I manifest to fight on my behalf."

_Edgy Birb. I remember you, so not going to try my luck against a shadow monster that doesn't need to breathe...priority elimination._

Next up was a kid with heterochromia, two different hair colors, and a scar marring his face...the son of the now Number One Hero Endeavor, the one who Dabi said something about being interested in one of the few times Hiroto got to hear him talk.

"Todoroki. I can summon ice and fire with my Quirk."

_Prince Zuko, Endeavor's son. He could easily wipe me out with the fire, but he has personal issues of some kind that doesn't let him use it...ice can still be a problem, leaving him and Edgy Birb as the main threats now._

After him was a girl wearing only gloves and shoes, something that was offset by her being invisible, thankfully for Hiroto's state of consciousness.

"I'm Toru Hagakure, and with my invisibility I'm going to pay you back for poisoning me!"

_Pfft...not like that you aren't. Your clothes give you away, and I can just sense you with my miasma anyways. What would be a good name for someone who is invisible? I swear I had something for this..._

With thoughts suppressed about her 'costume', Hiroto looked over to the next student to find that he was looking at Midoriya, the kid that Tomura despised.

"I am Izuku Midoriya, and my Quirk grants me super strength."

_Shrubbery...I can think of some knights looking for you, not to mention my old boss. He really hated you for some reason...maybe it's because you're strong enough to beat Muscular? I mean I did too, so I will have to see._

Following from the polite and humble boy was a kid who seemed to not want to be there, just like Aizawa, though that could just be because he was bored with the introductions...having seen him fight at the U.A. Sports festival, chances were he would feel right at home in an actual fight.

"You can call me Bakugo until I break your teeth today. I can create explosions using my sweat."

_Ground Zero...I have an idea for you._

It took Hiroto a moment to find the next student, learning that it was in fact an extremely short kid who had not yet hit his growth spurt: the purple-clad student was puny even by Hiroto's slender standards.

"Mineta, and **_WHY DO YOU GET TO SPEND TIME WITH MISS MIDNIGHT!? THIS IS SO UNFAIR! I SAW YOU TWO GET HERE TOGETHER!"_**

_...there had to be at least one of them, didn't there?_

Aizawa rebuked him instantly, not having patience for any delays in the day's proceedings, "Mineta."

"Right, right...I can create these orbs that stick to things, but not to me," Mineta explained, removing a purple orb from his head to show to Hiroto, not that Mustard particularly cared.

_Tripping Balls...Grape-boy...Purple Pervert? Options, options...whatever I call him though he's weak and I will enjoy putting him in his place._

Lastly was the one Hiroto had been waiting for: the one he knew from the start he would ban not just because her Quirk negated his, but because _she made Midnight seem tame with her Hero Costume._ Now was not the time for distractions.

The tall girl was one of the more polite among her class, but that did not save the raven haired girl from automatically earning the ban, "And I am Momo Yaoyorozu, Hero Name: Creati. My Quirk allows me to create non-living objects from my body so long as I know what comprises them."

_Build-A...damnit, I knew I had something for this. Maybe I'll remember it later._

With his class finished introducing themselves, Aizawa looked back to Mustard, "That's everyone. Now, who will volunteer as your allies?"

To the surprise of no-one Pony stepped forward, standing right beside Hiroto instead of right behind him as she had been so far.

"Hiro is Pony's friend, and so I help Hiro," she explained, taking his hand in her own to show her sincerity...and forcing Hiroto to do everything in his power not to blush.

"Thank you Pony..."

Two against nineteen...this was going to be rough, but maybe they could pull it off.

He wasn't that hopeful.

"Don't forget about me! I'm gonna help the little punk too!"

Turning to the side, Hiroto found some others entering the gymnasium: the one he recognized was Tetsutetsu, while behind him was a giant golem-like kid whose head reminded Hiroto of a candle and a sand castle, and after them was a girl with pink hair seemingly eager to get her turn in the spotlight.

The fact that Tetsutetsu had just announced himself as an ally surprised Hiroto, as the last time they spoke was when Tetsu _punched him_, directly following Hiroto _shooting him..._needless to say there was confusion permeating Hiroto's entire being.

"Terminator? What are you doing here?"

Tetsutetsu punched his other palm, the kid seemingly spoiling for a fight, "Pony said that if you pass today's test you'll be in our class. If you're in our class we will be practicing together, and _then I can kick your ass every day!"_

...suddenly things made a lot more sense, and Hiroto's hope that maybe he had been forgiven somehow deflated. He was getting helped so this guy could punch the tar out of him every day for the next few years...how wonderful.

Tetsu was not done however, gaining a bit more of a reflective vibe to his tone, "Besides, Pony says you're not all that bad, and she's one of the most honest people I know. From what I hear you've had a rough life, so maybe you can turn it around here...this school's about surpassing our limits, becoming better each and every day, so I don't see why that shouldn't apply to being a better person too."

_Huh...that was...sorta nice. Maybe these U.A. kids aren't too bad..._

"Anyone else?" Aizawa asked rhetorically, knowing that by the expression of one of the others they obviously had _something_ to say...and so she did.

"I won't be fighting, but Pony asked me to contribute something else to your team: a whole set of gas masks!" Mei announced in a chipper tone, showing off a large case of gas-masks she brought with her to Hiroto himself, "I modeled these Babies of mine after your crude one, made some improvements, and now you can stop knocking yourself out when you use your Quirk!" reaching into another case she had dragged in with her she also handed out a gun of sorts that resembled his original, yet was obviously a facsimile, "Also, here's a cement gun I made based on ones they use for official testing! They said no real guns allowed, not even lasers, so I had to use stuff they use for practice as well just to get you some kind of gun like Pony wanted!"

Hiroto was speechless, not just because he had a pretty girl enthusiastically talking to him at point blank range with no regard to personal space as she gave him things, but because he literally had no idea who she was. It was one thing when Pony invaded his personal space, as she tended to on occasion (she was _still_ holding his hand...scandalous in his mind, yet perfectly innocent in hers), but having this girl do it made him fearful like she might randomly use him as a component in one of her creations.

"...who are you?"

"Mei Hatsume, at your service! I'm from the Support Course!"

Mustard nodded, accepting her 'Support' in the form of gear to use today and quietly thanking Pony for asking for this just in case it was necessary...only to realize that one of the masks was not like his. The others were identical to his own except for size, while this one...it was quite different, and Pony was already enthusiastically putting it on as if it were the best gift of her lifetime.

"...why is Pony's helmet different, and why is it a Unicorn?"

Mei shrugged, not knowing or caring, "I dunno, she gave me some pictures from an anime and asked if I could accommodate her. Works the same though, even if it took a bit more effort! Couldn't get the mono-eye done in time though..."

Pony was the opposite in terms of how enthusiastic she was, pumping her arms up into the air and cheering to herself.

"Sieg Zeon! Pony is Kechup Flash!"

_Now_ Hiroto understood...and he couldn't help but chuckle at her nerdy self-indulgence.

_...she really __**is **__an anime geek._

"I need to finish my Ridden model..." came a quiet voice from nearby, drawing Hiroto's attention to the other person who arrived with them. He had kind of been pushed aside by Mei when he tried to introduce himself after Tetsu, but now he wasn't stopped by her enthusiastic nature and so was the center of attention.

"Yo Bondo, what's a Zeon?" Tetsu whispered to the giant student, not getting why Pony was so happy about a custom mask.

"Pony said I can have a mask for Gundam cosplay if I helped..." the tall student said shyly, not having noticed Tetsu trying to use him as a lifeline of understanding since he was busy being bashful over talking to Mustard, "I'm Bondo, but you can call me Plamo...that's my Hero Name. It's from Plastic Modeling...and I make adhesive, so..."

Now it made sense to Hiroto: this guy was a geek like her and so they got along, so when she tried getting support from her class he was willing to. He didn't seem romantically into Pony, instead sounding like a little kid talking about his sister, so Hiroto didn't feel any intrinsic animosity towards him...it was nice having another quiet guy around, since Hiroto was quiet by nature and only got loud and boastful when given a stage to do so.

Hiroto held out a hand for the large student to shake, "You can call me Mustard then. Pony's Ketchup, and that's Terminator. Probably should call him Metal Fork and you Plastic Tray, but I'd like to keep our theme nicknames separate."

The tall boy gently took Mustard's hand to shake, as if he did not have much experience doing this, "You got me at the training camp, but Pony says you're not that bad, and she is nice, so maybe we can be friends now...if you want..."

Another friend, huh? The idea didn't really strike Hiroto as a bad one...but he didn't want to strike up a 'friendship' he wouldn't be able to follow up on, which would be the case if they lost. He already lost contact with Pony and regretted that each waking moment of his life now, so he wasn't about to commit that mistake twice.

"If we win, sure. Otherwise I won't likely see you."

Plamo nodded to that, seemingly understanding Hiroto's feelings on the matter, and that settled things: now it was four against nineteen, though the four would have gear from a fifth to help them fight. It was still horrible odds, but Hiroto still held faith in his Quirk despite his loss to Tetsutetsu. If he played things right they could win even without the element of surprise he used to incapacitate Pony, Plamo, and others in 1-B.

"Enough chit-chat. Right now it is Hiroto, Pony, Tetsutetsu, Bondo, and gear donated by Mei Hatsume versus Class 1-A. Now, who are you choosing to ban?"

Hiroto had noticed some members of Class 1-A talking with one another about his own Quirk and those of the students on his team, but not everyone seemed focused on the topic...invisible girl seemed to be discussing a strategy to beat him with Monkey, and Goth-AM was too ticked off to properly discuss strategy as well even as Pikachu tried to converse with her.

He'd use anything he could to win, and so Hiroto was studying and examining them exactly as they were him...this being the case, he still knew who he had to ban.

"The Momo girl. I'd rather your class not all have gas masks, if at all possible...I think I can take the rest," Hiroto announced in a jovial manner, almost taunting in his positivity.

The bait was set...

"You're gonna regret not banning me or even IcyHot you little twerp. Rust for brains, Jack's Candlestick, and your little pony aren't gonna save you," scoffed Bakugo, whose irritable temper was _legendary_...it was something he had learned of when the League of Villains planned to capture the 1-A student, and it was something Hiroto was banking on.

"You _do_ realize I helped you get captured once before, during which time I incapacitated twenty or so of your classmates single-handed..." Hiroto explained in as condescending a voice as he could manage, stepping away from his little group of 'allies' casually as he did so, "I'm not too afraid of a brash fool who thinks he can solve every problem with explosions. Maybe when your IQ matches the amount of times you explode metaphorically each day I will have something to worry about."

**_"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU GODDAMN TWERP!?"_**

Hook, line, and sinker.

Hiroto found himself grinning as he pulled on one of the masks given by Mei, his expression hidden by the familiar metal of it even as his voice made it all too apparent what his face was like behind it, "Oh, should I say it more slowly? Yoooouuuu..." he pointed to Bakugo as he dragged out his words, "...arrrrrreeee...aaaaaaaa...mooooorrrrrooooonnnn. That slow enough, dimwit?"

Absolutely furious, Bakugo tried lunging forward only for Tetsutetsu's doppelganger to grab him and try holding him back with some difficulty.

**_"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"_**

Aizawa was facing Hiroto, as if to study him, while he spoke coldly to his own student, "Bakugo, calm down."

Ignoring Aizawa, Mustard continued to fan the flames of the other kid's anger, holding his arms out as if in invitation, "Go ahead, try me...or are you too afraid?"

Right as he said this Shrubbery stepped forward to help calm down Ground Zero, appearing concerned about the taunting and egging on done by Mustard, "Bakugo, calm down. He knows who you are, and he's still trying to wind you up for some reason...I don't think it's an accident."

Pony seemed concerned as well, and Tetsutetsu seemed ready to start a brawl right then and there...but little Hiroto said or did could have angered Bakugo more than being told to calm down by his personal rival, Shrubbery.

**_"SHUT UP DEKU AND GET OUT OF MY WAY!"_**

Now it was time to pour gasoline on the fire.

"I don't think Bakugo got enough nappy-time before he came out to play today. The poor baby seems so cranky...maybe someone can get him a pacifier to calm him down, he does like sucking after all. Why, Prince Zuko over there didn't even bother to use his Fire-bending properly to fight him during their tournament match. Just how bad are you that, in an official tournament where contestants are using dangerous techniques, someone wouldn't even bother to use half their strength against you? Really makes one wonder if you deserved that victory at all..."

**_"PACIFY THIS AND DIE!"_**

Shrubbery was knocked aside from sheer force as Bakugo used his Quirk to take flight and hurtle towards the source of his anger, but Hiroto didn't flinch...after all, the speed of Hiroto's gas was faster than Bakugo's racing across the air to strike him, and as soon as he released it into the air he stopped: all he had to do was pour it forward for a brief moment and Bakugo quite literally launched himself into the incapacitating gas.

Smart as he was, Bakugo hadn't fought Hiroto before, he hadn't dealt with Mustard's gas, and so he didn't know just how fast or easily he could summon his Quirk...which was why he collapsed down on the ground and skidded across the gymnasium floor with violent force as he fell unconscious and his explosive Quirk still propelled him for a moment longer. Mustard side-stepped the out of control Bakugo and watched as 1-A's most powerful student in a single moment removed himself from the equation, only having made a single mistake of sorts (not knowing how fast Hiroto could summon his gas or use it in general) and paid dearly for it.

"What a shame...it would seem I had to defend myself against a dangerous individual who was threatening my personal safety. I do hope that we can still continue despite my acting in self-defense," Hiroto said in false sincerity, having broken no rules yet eliminated one of his most dangerous opponents by using what he already knew of Bakugo to his advantage.

From the sidelines Midnight had gone from worried that her son was committing suicide to relieved that he was fine...now she just had to hope Aizawa would not react negatively to Hiroto's baiting of Bakugo. She could appreciate playing mind-games to mess with an opponent, she had to as a Pro Hero on occasion, so it was a valid strategy...hopefully her friend would think the same.

"You cheated! You goaded Bakugo into attacking you! Nothing's changed, you really are still a Villain!" Kirishima balked, disgusted by the unsportsmanlike action taken by his opponent. To some degree Pony even agreed with him, but she ultimately felt it was Bakugo's own fault...something that Hiroto would soon vocalize in his own way.

"Riddle me this, you are fine going to class alongside a violent psycho who uses explosions to batter you every day and likely threatens everyone in any proximity to him, but _I'm_ the villain for taunting his bad behavior?" Mustard now was the one scoffing, "I may have used some sleeping gas, but from what files I've read Sleeping Beauty here has used what could be lethal force in training exercises...maybe U.A. should teach you all some perspective, because just because you say you're training to be Heroes doesn't make you anything more than sanctioned Quirk users. You're no more of a Hero than I am, so stop acting all high and mighty."

1-A had some grumblings in response to that, but no-one could really argue the point: Bakugo _was_ violent, and it was why the League of Villains tried capturing him not too long ago. Sure Bakugo had resisted the invitation, but he was by no means some idealistic and pure hero like All Might once was...he was violent and far more like Endeavor in general behavior, which had a time and place but by no means idealistic heroic behavior.

Aizawa silenced the murmurs and spoke up next, "We will move forward as intended, while Bakugo will be brought to Recovery Girl in the meantime. Is there anyone who would at this point like to join Hiroto or not partake in the test for any reason?"

Robocop Iida stepped forward to say something, his voice critical and showing a degree of disdain for his class' opponent for the day, "I must be honest, I am not fond of the idea of having a former Villain walk amongst us here at U.A., whatever their circumstances may have been...it sets a poor precedent I believe to reward any criminal behavior, and it will only sully the reputation of U.A. to have you here."

Some in his class seemed to rally behind this, which made it all the more surprising for them when he continued while keeping his gaze focused on Mustard.

"This said, I have spoken with my brother, who took part in the decision to allow you here...he saw potential in you, even if I do not, and I trust in his experience as a Pro Hero. If my brother would like to see you reform and become a Hero, I will give you the benefit of doubt," Iida glanced over at the students who had decided to assist Hiroto, then looked back at him, "I will not aid you like some have chosen to, but I will not impede your entrance either. If you seek to join us here at U.A. you will have to earn your place like any other member of our class."

Not knowing really what to say to that, Hiroto bowed his head and accepted the student's decision to not participate, bringing the total count down to 17 now, "I appreciate the sentiment."

Next to speak was amphibian girl Frogger, who seemed meek at first but became resolute as she spoke, "I want to agree with Iida, but you hurt my friends...if you want to go to school with us you are going to have to face me first."

Beside her Edgy Birb stepped forward too, showing solidarity with his seeming friend, "She is not alone. Your comrades caused me to endanger my own classmates, for which I will not forgive you."

Hiroto had no idea what he was referring to, but decided not to press the issue.

Shrubbery was in agreement with those before him, but had some words of his own to say, "You did something wrong, but I don't think it's impossible to redeem yourself. People make mistakes, and I think everyone should be able to make amends if they truly mean to," lifting his hands up, 'Deku' formed fists with them, "However, everyone here had to work so hard just to get into U.A., and I don't think it would be right to just let anyone else in...so I'm going to test you myself."

The gravity girl followed suit with him, seemingly encouraged by his standing up and saying something, "Yeah, what Deku said. None of us really know you well enough to tell if you're really bad or not, but if you are bad you'll get thrown out anyways so I don't see why you shouldn't be able to get in...but that doesn't mean I'm going to just let you beat us."

With none of the others seemingly wanting to say anything Aizawa resumed his officiating.

"Well, I suppose that settles that...now, it's time that we started."

"Ahh, but aren't we forgetting someone?"

Standing by the entrance now was Smuggy, or so Hiroto nicknamed him, as he had _no_ clue who the hell this was or why he was making a 'fashionably late' sort of entrance to steal the show.

"Copycat!" Pony cheered, grateful that the 'maybe' turned out to be a 'yes' after she tried to convince him to help out. Seeing her reaction Hiroto realized it was another classmate of hers, and he just had to hope that the guy wasn't doing it to score points with her...he was definitely the jealous and envious sort he was learning, and he didn't care.

The so-called 'Copycat' proudly strolled over to where Hiroto's group was, his voice haughty all the while, "If this is to be a match between classes 1-A and 1-B I would be remiss if I turned down the opportunity to prove our class superior...we may not be in the spotlight, but we are just as capable as Class 1-A."

It did cross Mustard's mind for a brief moment that the reason he didn't like this kid was that he reminded him of himself...then he silenced said thought and let Pony properly introduce him.

"This is Monoma. He obsessed with beating Class 1-A, but good friend otherwise. Teach Pony new words," she explained, "His Quirk lets him copy other Quirks!"

_That explains her calling him Copycat..._

"I see..." Hiroto nodded and held out a hand to properly greet him, "I think I can make use of that. Thank you for coming."

Monoma smiled at him as he took the hand offered and shook it, though beneath the smiling Hiroto could sense something darker lurking, "If you pass you will be a member of our class, so I shall support you as I would any other...but know that if you bring any harm to us again I will show you no mercy."

_No mercy, huh..._

Hiroto smiled beneath his mask as he remembered a motto from one of his favorite series, "Fine with me."

He had no intention of hurting Pony or Midnight, so it was a simple criteria to uphold: and if it made him yet another ally who was he to ignore the free offer of aid?

"Now, this is my test, so I'm going to make the calls...and right now I've got a plan for dealing with them that should work if you all listen to me."

Today would be the day...the day he achieved his dream of joining U.A.'s Hero Course, or if he would fail and be relegated to its Support Course or General Studies.

He wanted more than anything to be with Pony and Midnight though, and to do that he would have to succeed: that was why he was willing to take the risk of provoking Bakugo into attacking him. That was why he was going to use every cheap trick he could to win in the fight itself. Nerves had him shaking, but he stood resolute all the same.

The day had come for him to prove what he had been boasting all this time.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to Spartan3909 and D. for your reviews last chapter...was hoping to hear from more people, so hopefully this time we'll get a bit more chatter! I really do appreciate your thoughts after all, so if you have any thoughts please do let me know. Thank you also to Death Reaver66, Haro654, Deadpool64, Gamma102, Comicgirl20, Maddox139, and Attackin for your favorites/follows since last chapter!**

**This chapter was initially just the fight, but I didn't feel like that worked well so I built up the day before it, and then I had over 10,000 words, so the combat will be next chapter. This is all the setup for what is going to be a big fight, but it had a bit of conflict within it still...anyways, thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope you will let me know your thoughts in the reviews below! **


	10. The Entrance Exam (Take Two)

**Chapter 10: ****The Entrance Exam (Take 2)**

* * *

After Bakugo was escorted away to the nurse's office everyone was given a brief period to get ready to begin, after which they were lined up by team across from one another. On one side of the gym Hiroto stood beside Pony, who was next to Plamo, who stood beside Tetsutetsu, who in turn was next to Monoma. On the other stood the majority of Class 1-A, sans Iida, Momo, and of course the unconscious Bakugo.

Aizawa had kept the preparation time short to keep things 'fair', forcing 1-A to mostly adapt to the situation rather than discuss at length how to counter the upcoming poison gas. By the same factor however it kept Mustard's team from creating a comprehensive plan themselves, though he did manage to give them general goals to adapt during the upcoming battle, so it was not like either side was completely flat-footed in the engagement.

Those sitting on the sidelines were provided gas masks by Momo so that they would not be made collateral damage of the coming battle, and also were provided goggles by Hatsume so they could see better through the coming miasma. It wouldn't be perfect vision, as Mei had not been able to study Mustard's Quirk personally, but she was able to make something half decent all the same while she was working on the gas masks Pony requested. If Mei was going to be involved in something she was going to use the opportunity to increase her profile and name recognition, and this was no different.

A brief test by Hiroto had revealed that if Monoma possessed his Quirk he was still able to sense the gas produced by Monoma: it was a copy of his own gas for the most part and he didn't require it to be 'attached' to him or anything for him to sense things within it. It wasn't 100% the same, he could feel a slight difference (and could actually _smell_ it, like it was an odd perfume), but it was close enough that he could tell what was happening within it and Monoma could likely do the same with his gas...with the proper training that was, as adding the entire area around you to your perception took some getting used to.

Pony didn't seem to like Monoma's poison's smell, having commented it smells 'Burger King', whatever that meant...but Hiroto was going to take that as a win since she hasn't once commented about _his_ poison's smell and he even dosed her with it once!

_Maybe Mom was right..._

He was glad his mask could hide his blush as he thought pettily about one of the students who had agreed to assist him, Hiroto being defensive of his relationship with Pony even at a time like this. He was grateful of course for the help, but he still couldn't help but see Monoma as a rival of sorts since he was another male in her general proximity...Terminator and Why-You-Shouldn't-Eat-Glue didn't register in the same way to him since the former was a musclehead that didn't seem Pony's type while the latter seemed less socially competent than Hiroto himself. Even if Plamo wanted to be competition he wouldn't work up the nerve.

Monoma though? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was too similar to Mustard himself for comfort: they both had light hair, an ego bigger than they were, possessed Quirks with incredible potential, held grudges, and were Pony's friends.

"You will fight until you are unconscious, removed from the testing ground, are incapacitated, or yield. Whatever team has the last student standing wins: there are no draws here," Aizawa explained the rules to the participants who were quietly awaiting the command to begin. Nearby him Midnight felt her nerves begin to work themselves into a bunch as whether or not her son would be able to join the Hero Course...but a part of her had calmed down from her initial worries after some of her other students had come to assist him.

She didn't expect all of the Hero Course to forgive Hiroto, but so long as enough of them did that he could work as a Hero...that was all she wanted for him right now.

"Let the test commence: may the better team win."

With this final instruction given by Aizawa the battle began, both Hiroto and Monoma jumping right into things by unleashing their poison gases to flood the entire room. Together the gas would be thicker and render those hit by it unconscious even faster, but 1-A was not going to be defeated right out of the gate by this opening: Midoriya used his publicly unnamed Quirk to punch from where he was standing at one end of his class towards the other end, the sheer force of his attack enough to displace the gas and free up the air for them all.

"Man that poison spreads fast..." Kaminari remarked, shocked that it was so potent. He had missed out on it at the training camp and so this was his first time really seeing it. He wanted to get back at Hiroto for poisoning Jiro, but that didn't stop him from being in awe of how suddenly everything not freed up by Midoriya was a thick purple mist he couldn't see through in a single second.

His friend Kirishima looked around to try and see through it all, but he couldn't really make heads or tail of where their five targets were, "Of course it does, they've got two of them who can use it. I don't think we're gonna be seeing much..."

Midoriya kept punching and moving around as best as he could to free up the others to breathe, but he couldn't really punch in every direction without letting the gas creep onto his class: he was forced to play defensively for the time being lest he let all of 1-A be neutralized when their breath ran out, "I can keep it away from us, but I can't see them: someone is going to have to make an opening!"

Fortunately for him one of his classmates had already intended to go on the offensive, with Jiro plugging her ear-jacks into her Hero costume so she could unleash a sonic blast forward into the mist.

"It doesn't matter if I can't see you, Brat, your ears will bleed all the same!"

She was a definite counter to Mustard's Quirk in that way, being in essence able to attack him with an area-of-effect hit that would pierce through his mists and strike right at him through it all no matter where he hid.

Or so Hiroto had explained to Pony when indicating who he actually cared about taking out first.

"What the..."

Jiro's eyes widened as a pair of horns slammed into her, hitting her with great force even though they were not attached to anything: Pony was remote controlling them and used them to take Jiro's legs out from underneath her, breaking the speakers built into her costume with the horns' piercing power before then lifting up in the air and slamming into Jiro's armpits, taking her body by force and then carried out through the entrance Monoma had so audaciously used for his late arrival.

It only took a moment, but one of 1-A had already been thrown out of the testing grounds.

"Jiro!" Kaminari yelled as the girl who had been right beside him and Todoroki was defeated so swiftly, the act of having been thrown out of the room forcing Jiro to be tossed into excess of the poison created by Mustard and Monoma and so coincidentally knocked her out in addition to the criteria of removing her from the area.

Infuriated, Kaminari began to charge his power to soon unleash it when he would run out into the mist: like Jiro he didn't need to _see_ his opponents to hit them, as aiming didn't matter much anyways when your Quirk hit everything around you anyways.

_"Oh now you're gonna pay! I don't need to see you either to electrocute this whole area!"_

Realizing his friend's mistake before Kaminari could, Kirishima cursed himself for not having started beside the electric Quirk user so he could grab him and stop him from doing anything stupid.

"Kaminari you idiot—!" was all he got out before a blob of cement fastened itself around Kaminari's foot, stopping his would-be charge right before he could run forward with his power and unleash it.

Instead, he fell to the ground as his power surged and unleashed right nearby his entire class.

"—watch what you're doing!"

Most of them were able to see disaster before it could completely go off, and so they all moved to avoid it...though not everyone could get clear of the discharge in time.

"Todoroki!" Yaoyorozu called out from the sidelines as her fellow Recommendation student and Final Exam partner was electrocuted by Kaminari's attack, a shocked worry creeping into her voice as she witnessed him be hit by friendly fire.

Having managed to partially block himself with ice in time the damage was not severe on Todoroki, but it was enough to make him grit his teeth and realize that focusing ahead of himself at where he could be shot at as a high-value target left him open to a far craftier move, "I'm fine..."

_"Pony, right now only a few of them really worry me...but IcyHot is standing by Punk-Rock Goth and Pikachu. Target her and he'll get upset and attack, I can guarantee it...that should at least cause Prince Zuko to get hurt and we can move forward from there."_

_"Why not focus Todoroki-Zuko first?"_

_"He'll probably be on his guard for an attack from us, but won't expect his own teammates to backfire and hurt him. Right now I don't want to go deaf, so take Goth out and I'll target Elekid before he can run at us."_

Pony found herself smirking beneath her Zaku-inspired gas-mask. Hiroto really _was_ smart, and so long as they all listened to him she was confident they would win...it could be a close match, but they were already off to a great start.

Not particularly worried unlike Momo, Aizawa casually announced the current state of affairs to all present, "Jiro and Kaminari are eliminated. The current teams are fifteen to five."

And so it was Hiroto, Pony, Tetsutetsu, Bondo, and Monoma left to face off against Aoyama, Mina, Tsuyu, Uraraka, Oijiro, Kirishima, Koda, Sato, Shoji, Sero, Tokoyami, a wounded Todoroki, Hagakure, Midoriya, and Mineta of Class 1-A. Of them Mustard only considered a few in particular 'dangerous', and so had ideas of how to counter them...but they had the advantage of sheer numbers and he wasn't certain that the cement he was firing from this gun could break through the powerful punches done by Midoriya. He had used a bit of his time before the match to ask Mei about her creation, but this was his first time actually using it so he had wanted to test it on someone who _wouldn't_ block it with ice or hurl it aside from sheer force of their attack.

So Pikachu it was, the dolt pinned by one foot to the ground and declared unable to fight due to his Quirk leaving him a babbling mess afterwards. Monoma had informed him of that tidbit, so Mustard hadn't bothered wasting any extra shots on Kaminari.

"Two down, almost three...I wonder who's next?" he taunted 1-A in a soft and casual manner as he tapped on Tetsutetsu's shoulder, indicating to him to enact their own little plan.

Kirishima grinned as he and some of the other members of 1-A realized exactly where Mustard was now: the reason the close-combat users couldn't run at their opponents and just beat them down was that they didn't know where to go, but if Mustard was going to inform them then why not use the opportunity?

"Nice try dumbass, but we can hear you just fine!"

Sato joined Kirishima and ran forward as fast as he could, Uraraka following closely behind him as the three of them honed in on where Mustard was, "Let's get him!"

If they could just hit him he was done for, and he couldn't shoot _all_ of them at once, so by knowing his general location they could get close enough to see him and beat him down: Kirishima could knock him out likely in a single punch like Tetsu had previously, Sato could do the same, and Uraraka could remove gravity from Hiroto and neutralize him as a threat by then dropping him down to the ground painfully.

All it would take was one punch, one hit...

"Hah! Talk about nice tries!"

Kirishima had punched forward at the first figure he saw in the mists, expecting it to be Hiroto given where his voice had come from...and instead found himself face to face with a masked Tetsutetsu who blocked his stone-like punch with the steel of his own body.

"Tetsutetsu?!"

Tetsutetsu retaliated instantly with a punch to his rival's gut, followed by a brutal uppercut to the jaw, "He told me you'd charge in just like I did once your friends were beginning to get hurt, and man was he right! For a little brat he's actually pretty smart!"

Kirishima was not particularly harmed by each of the attacks, but he _did_ have the wind get knocked out of him...and with no breath left in his lungs he was only able to throw a few punches back before succumbing to the poison gas around them. He threw his all into his attacks, wounding Tetsutetsu in the process, but he couldn't overcome his steely foe before the double dose of poison forced its way into his system and made him collapse.

"Sweet dreams Kirishima! Let's try this again some other day, just you and me!"

Turning his attention to Sato, Tetsu began to swing at his next closest foe when suddenly he was leap-tackled by someone else with their hands outstretched.

"Oh no you don't!" Ochaco yelled as she made contact with Tetsu, removing gravity from him and forcing him to slowly take off into the air from her hit.

"What the Hell?" Tetsu growled as he grabbed at Ochaco's helmet and smashed its visor in a single punch, fist colliding with her face and making her flinch even as she used some of her last breath to yell out.

"Get him Sero!"

Mustard was not the only one who had come up with a plan of sorts, and while less sophisticated Ochaco's still had some thought put into it: after forcing someone up into the air she could get them tied down by her classmate Sero, whose tape could be used at range and used in enough quantity to essentially bury a target even without precision aiming. If Tetsutetsu was restrained he would be disqualified, and that was all that mattered.

"You got it Uraraka!" Sero shouted out from where the rest of Class 1-A was, tape unleashing from each of his elbows as he followed up as planned. The tape struck Tetsutetsu on the first attempt thanks to Sero's training with it and general idea of where they were, but Tetsu's bullheaded nature shone through in spite of this.

"I may go down, but you're both coming with me!"

He had been lifted into the air enough for Ochaco to drop him down, where the tape then pinned him to the ground...but Tetsu used his strength to twist the tape and catch Uraraka and Sato in it as he fell. All pinned in relative close proximity to one another, Tetsu slammed a fist into Ochaco's stomach (far softer than Kirishima's) to expel any remaining breath from her while then twisting and fighting as Sero continued to pile tape atop him. Sato fought back using his enhanced strength, forcing Tetsutetsu down even as they both were buried under enough tape to leave them disqualified.

Having seen it all from a relatively close range, Hiroto had to admit that Terminator served as a better bodyguard than he had initially thought when he asked Tetsu to perform that as a role, "Maybe he's not as much of a moron as I thought...three for one with a Quirk like his isn't bad."

Twelve to four...but Hiroto did not intend to leave it that way for long. He had not known exactly what to think of Sero's Quirk before, but he was quite certain now that it would be among the most threatening if left unaccounted for.

"Simple but effective...I can't afford to let someone with a Quirk like that remain."

Todoroki was busy blocking surgical horn strikes from Pony, keeping him busy and thus unable to block a sudden flurry of bullets that pepper Sero and pin him to the wall nearby 1-A's grouping. Cemented to the wall by wads of the substance that quickly dried and left him looking like a grey version of the sand-covered people you would find laying on the beach, Sero was eliminated as a threat immediately without a way to properly defend himself from bullets.

Midnight had mentioned something about defeating Sero by getting into close combat with him and unmasking him, allowing her to gas him, but Hiroto figured that when one had a gun such a risk was unnecessary. After all he wasn't some close-combat specialist like Tetsutetsu or even a Pro Hero like Gunhead was reported to be...right now he had to work with what he had at his disposal, and that was his wits, Quirk, and a cement gun.

"Kirishima, Sato, Uraraka, Sero, and Tetsutetsu are eliminated. Eleven against four."

With Aizawa's announcement came a surge in determination from the remaining members of Class 1-A, eager to avenge their defeated classmates.

"Don't worry guys, we'll get them for you!" Mina the pink one yelled out to assure those recently defeated, "Ready Aoyama, Todoroki?"

Some of their 'backline' had already been defeated like Sero and Jiro, but they still had plenty of classmates who could attack at range and with great power. Todoroki couldn't just unleash his full Quirk with his allies in the way even now that he caught his breath and no longer was on the verge of collapsing from electrocution, but he _could_ still flood the area with plenty of ice.

"Aha, I am always ready!" Aoyama replied, all too pleased with himself as he prepared to shoot a laser forth at the murky mists before them.

"Right..." Todoroki chimed in, his eyes fighting the urge to wince with the pain he was enduring. He could take some hits, but electrocution of the kind Kaminari could cause? That hurt, even if he did partially avoid its full potential.

Shutting his eyes, the son of the Number One Hero Endeavor focused so he could pinpoint where they should aim...it was what he figured Yaoyorozu would do, and so he tried to act in the same manner. She was the smartest member of 1-A after all, even if he was still in the top five.

"I heard his voice from over there...he's moving to our right, towards the center," Todoroki pointed over to a far corner of the gym, and as he did so he created a giant chunk of ice to creep across the floor and slam into his target.

Mina put her hands before herself and grinned pleasantly as she thought to herself how they were going to beat this former villain who had hurt her friends, "You heard him! Fire!"

From her hands shot a flood of acid, and beside her a beam emitted from Aoyama's stomach, with all three of their attacks aiming in the same general area...only for none of them to land on their target, who was casually hanging high in the air off of two of Pony's detached horns.

It was hard for Pony and the others to see 1-A now that the mists had so much time to thicken, and so it was actually about as hard for her to hit them as it was for them to blindly hit anyone on Mustard's side...but by attacking they revealed more precisely their locations, and that was something Mustard had been banking on when he baited them with his voice. Pony could use multiple sets of her horns simultaneously, and so she used one pair to lift Hiroto up after he baited them, and as for her other...

"Ahh...they got me..." Aoyama winced as a second set of Pony's horns slammed into his special belt that allowed him to control his Quirk, damaging the device but not destroying it completely yet.

Mina dodged the horns as they then set about trying to strike her, wincing as one of them clipped her chest and tore her colorful Hero Uniform, "Those horns are getting real annoying! How can they even see us!?"

Having picked up on Todoroki's lead, their classmate Shoji had stopped trying to use extra eyes to see through the mists and instead used his extra limbs to spawn ears to hear from, "I can hear him giving them information about our general whereabouts. Midoriya is keeping the gas at bay, but so long as we remain in this area it's not like they don't know where we are generally."

"Well they can't hide forever! Keep firing boys!"

They unleashed another volley into the mists, with Todoroki aiming higher this time since he could feel he completely missed last time. His attack managed to clip Mustard similar to the way Mina was hit by Pony, causing him to fall and slide down the ice as he lost hold of Pony's horns, but at that same moment Pony's horns were able to find a mark again: the immobile Aoyama whose damaged belt had forced him to try and focus more to attack. By sinking her horns into the device she broke it completely now, forcing him to double over in pain as the controller for his powers shattered to the ground.

"My belt..."

Mina continued hurling acid towards where Shoji would tell her, trying her best to strike out at Mustard to knock him out of the match since if he was out then Midoriya might be freer to fight back.

"Don't care! We've got to make sure Kirishima and the others didn't lose in vain!"

Unfortunately for her Mustard could feel the incoming acid as it flew through the air, and he was thus able to slide out of the way on Todoroki's ice while its owner was busy dodging giant horns homing in on him.

"Now Ketchup!" Hiroto yelled as he slid over to a patch of ground without ice, putting into effect another small plan he had created...though this one did not only call for Pony, it just began with her.

Of course not many others knew his personal nickname for her, so Mina rose her eyebrows in confusion over the odd statement made.

"Ketchup?"

On command Pony used her own horns to fly right in at them from above, divebombing Mina and Todoroki while accounting for the force made by Midoriya's punches so that she could land in close-quarters still. With electricity charging in her horns, Pony used a weaker version of her father's signature move and thrust her horns at Todoroki.

"Thunder Seto!"

He brought up an ice barrier to protect himself, but Pony kicked off of it to turn herself around and launch at Mina instead.

"What the—" Mina scoffed as she threw herself to the side, falling down in the process just to avoid Pony's charge, "Since when could horses fly!?"

Pony grinned to herself as she threw a punch at Mina, confident Todoroki wouldn't be much of an issue as she pressed forward.

"Pony aim at backline because backline typically squishy glass cannons!"

Mina continued to scramble away as Pony charged at her on all fours, the equine girl's speed matching what one would expect of a horse. It was all the pink student could do to not be trampled or gored by a horn, so she tried to buy herself time by throwing acid in return.

"Glass is rigid, not soft, so you had best not underestimate us!"

Pony had a bit of trouble dodging the acid given her own momentum, so she instead leaped above it while calling out to another member of her team.

"Bondo!"

Todoroki had been about to unleash his ice on Pony to help Mina, but he had to turn to do so since his ice came from one side and his fire from the other...and given his lingering issues with using his fire powers, he wasn't instantly prepared to use it when someone burst out of the gas from that side to tackle him and instantly grab his body.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya yelled as he saw it happen, realizing that his opponents were making usage of the issues demonstrated for the world to see at the U.A. Sports Festival. Weakened already, Todoroki was completely left open to this tackling ambush by the giant form of Bondo since he was already using his powers in a completely different direction.

"I gave Monoma my Quirk, but if I can beat Todoroki then we can win!" Bondo stated as he used his own Quirk to cement himself and Todoroki to where they stood. He had removed his mask as he left the gas, unable to fire his special cement with it on since he was a later addition Hatsume had not planned around, but at this close a range it didn't matter.

He may not have removed as many combatants as Tetsutetsu had, but he _did_ take out one of the strongest members of 1-A by turning himself and Todoroki into a sort of statue.

"Aoyama, Todoroki, and Bondo have been eliminated. Nine remain against three."

Bondo's sacrifice inspired Pony the way the loss of Kirishima's group had inspired the rest of 1-A, and so she resumed her assault on Mina as soon as she was able to avoid the ice Todoroki had hurled at her.

"Pony win for you Bondo!"

Unfortunately for Pony she was at that exact moment slammed into by the strong feet of a certain frog-girl, who used Pony as a kick-off point to then knock Pony well off the path to Mina.

"Ribbit!"

Pony tumbled and had to twist her body around to bring herself to a halt before she reached the poison gas...she realized as she was kicked away that her customized mask had been grabbed by Tsuyu's tongue and now was in the clutches of her opponent.

"You're not the only one who can move around the terrain," Tsuyu explained, having ambushed pony from a high point on the ceiling where the frog girl had been able to hang just above the gas' reach, trying to get a better look at where their opponents were hiding when she instead was able to launch an aerial strike akin to Pony's own, "Tokoyami, catch!"

Using her tongue she tossed the stolen gas mask to one of 1-A's other most powerful students, Tokoyami, having tied for third place at the Sports Festival along with Iida. It was not made for his facial structure, but he was still able to fit it on well enough while his feathers poked through its top holes and mostly plugged them.

"Thank you Asui!" the bird-man thanked his friend as Pony cursed this turn of events. She had baited Todoroki into exposing himself, but lost her mask and Bondo in the process.

"Midoriya, there's only two of them left, so it's time to go on the offense! You and Tokoyami can each take one of them, so go all out! Don't worry about the rest of us, ribbit!"

Realizing that Tsuyu had a point, the moss-haired boy prepared to run at Mustard while Tokoyami focused on where Shoji informed him Monoma likely was. With those two taken down there was only Pony left, and no more poison...it would mean 1-A's victory essentially so it was all that mattered now, and the rest of them could focus on taking Pony.

"Right!"

Preparing herself to run at full speed to stall them as best as she could, Pony muttered to herself in irritated English, _"I wonder what's the horsepower of the cars Frogger hugs with his face..."_

_Hiroto...don't lose._

* * *

The rest of 1-A was not entirely inactive in this period of time, with the invisible Hagakure having gone _around_ Mustard with her breath held so she could grab him and tear his mask off.

Unfortunately for her, Hiroto casually turned a hand and his cement gun towards her to fire right at her foot the moment before she could reach him.

"Did you think you could sneak up on me?"

Hagakure's eyes widened, not that anyone could really tell visually...Mustard could feel it though, just as he could feel everything else in his poison mists, "Huh? How did you..."

Sneering at his neutralizing her as a threat, Hiroto taunted the invisible girl as he prepared his gun for another shot, leaning in just outside of her reach so he could feel her struggle and fail to hit him, "Maybe you should have been paying attention when your classmates were talking about my powers. I can sense everything in my gas, moron."

"And maybe you should stop gloating like a Villain!" she yelled back, even as her flailing caused her to fall back onto the ground as her foot remained stuck.

It was a worthy taunt back at him if the surprise attack from the tailed student had managed to work, but Hiroto had been casually waiting for this duo to ambush him while Pony dealt with the others so he could instead get the jump on them.

With another precision shot from Mustard Oijiro found himself without access to his right hand as it and his forearm were covered by a blob of quickly drying cement.

"I noticed you two seemed close earlier. Did I catch your girlfriend, Monkey?"

"Why you..." Oijiro growled as he finished closing the gap between them and took a swing at Mustard with his left hand, followed by a sweep to Hiroto's legs that knocked him to the ground.

Hiroto was not particularly used to fighting like this, but he did know enough to roll out of the way of Oijiro's tail slamming down on him right after, though at such close range it was quite difficult to avoid the skilled close-combat fighter.

"I heard you weren't skilled in martial arts. Figures that someone who takes the easy way out with a gun of all things would not bother to train!" Oijiro slammed his powerful tail down at Hiroto, only for Hiroto to throw himself to the side like Mina did to avoid Pony.

"I'll admit, my knowledge of martial arts is in fact limited...but a few things sunk-in," he dragged himself to his feet as he also prepared his gun again, "Strike first, strike hard, and most importantly..."

Oijiro threw a fist that would have damaged Mustard's mask and opened him up to a finishing strike from his tail...but as he lunged forward he found himself unable to finish the attack.

Taking a look, Oijiro found that his tail had been cemented to the floor by multiple shots directly at it. As Mustard reloaded, Oijiro found that he could not turn around fully to face the former villain who was now circling around him.

"Show no mercy. Animal tails tend to be very sensitive...I wonder, if I step on this, just how loud will you scream?"

Mustard didn't intend to torture them, he was here to win, but if what it took to make this opponent yield was some pain...well he would apply that pain. Stomping down on the tail, he could tell that Oijiro was trying not to let out any signs of pain, but it was all too obvious that he was in fact hurt by it. It was like having a part of your spine stepped on, it was hardly comfortable.

From the ground nearby Hagakure tried to grab Mustard's foot and tug him down, only for Hiroto to point his cement gun down at her and stop her in her tracks.

"I wouldn't if I were you. This cement is pretty strong even if it is a bit thin for my liking, so unless you want to become a nude statue for the rest of your class to see, I would recommend just staying down."

Hagakure gasped at the threat, not just because he made it but because she had no doubt that he would cover her completely like he had Sero's body...and since she wasn't wearing clothes so she could be invisible it would have a completely different 'result'.

"Pervert!"

Mustard scoffed as he continued to hit Oijiro from behind, both striking his body and his tail to try and make him submit, "Hey, it's not my Quirk that made you strip down, Lady Exhibitionist. And here I thought my mother showed off too much..."

As he groaned over his own mother's behavior, Hiroto came to the realization that he may have outwitted these two but right now his own punches were _pathetic_. Oijiro was in a lot of pain from his tail being struck, and he wasn't able to move given how it was pinned, but that didn't mean he couldn't tank Hiroto's strikes for awhile and right now time was of the essence.

Realizing that beating his martial artist opponent down was not really an option, Hiroto relented and used his newly reloaded ammunition to pin Oijiro to the floor after pistol-whipping him closer to the ground...he shot his hands (including the already covered one), and feet so that they were directly secured and thus eliminating him from the battle.

However, Mustard did take some amusement out of saving ammunition by pinning Oijiro on his hands and knees _above_ where the invisible girl was. Given his poison gas he could feel that they were face to face, and that only added to his petty enjoyment of how he beat them.

"There. You two can keep one another company while I deal with the rest of your class."

He did not have unlimited shots with Hatsume's gun, but he figured he had enough for the overall battle...that was why he was not shooting 1-A endlessly even though they were mostly clueless about where he was. He had to make his shots count, and before Todoroki could have negated most of them. So while he used a bit more than he planned to beat Oijiro, he rationalized it by how he split that cost across him and Hagakure.

"Hagakure and Oijiro are eliminated. Seven to three."

"Mustard-friend really is evil."

Hiroto turned and noticed that Pony had been knocked back towards where he was, and that a punch from Midoriya just thinned the gas around him enough to leave them all visible to others.

"What? I did her a favor by not painting her with cement. They should be grateful," taking a look around at how Pony's situation was going, Hiroto noticed that she was mostly engaged with the other animal-girl around, "You good with Frogger?"

"Yeah..."

She was hurt and out of breath...while he was beating these two he had lost track of how Pony was faring, and it was not all too well. Seeing her hurt irritated him, but Hiroto buried the feeling so he could continue planning...even if it meant planning without Pony in mind.

"Pony?"

She glanced up at him as Hiroto forced his gas ahead of him past where Pony was crouching after a particularly nasty hit from Tsuyu put her here. Pony didn't have a mask now, so he had to be careful not to gas her.

"Beat her and we'll deal with the rest. You're hurt."

Taking the last breath she could before the entire area was flooded with poison, Pony prepared to charge forward and engage Tsuyu again.

"Nuh-uh. Gonna fight to end like real Hero."

With another punch Midoriya unveiled Mustard again, allowing him to close the distance while Pony went back to fight the other members of 1-A. Monoma was keeping Edgy-Birb busy, but they were running out of their heavy hitters...if Midoriya and Tokoyami were defeated then it would be 1-B's victory today.

"There you are!"

Hiroto had to hurl himself to one side once again as Midoriya's ridiculous speed almost let him Texas Smash him into the back wall, but by taking quick aim he forced Midoriya to back up a bit and give him a bit of space...not enough to stop him completely, but he was not under another instant assault like he had been with Oijiro moments before.

"I'll admit, it was hard at first to figure out who was where in all this gas, but now you're going down!"

Small Might jumped forward at Hiroto at a speed that made it impossible for the boy to really take aim, but that didn't matter: it was a head-on strike meant to take Mustard out before he could properly react. Even with the mists fading though Hiroto could still sense the exact moment Midoriya prepared to leap, so he lifted his gun up to fire...only to find himself lurching in pain when acid slammed into his side.

Midoriya's attack was slightly thrown off by how Mustard moved in reaction to being hit by Mina, but the impact was still enough to send him hurtling across the room, eventually slamming into the ground and tumbling numerous times until he hit a wall...a wall which he slammed off of before skidding partway across the floor.

This kid beat _Muscular_ in a one on one fight, someone who had killed Pro Heroes...and Mustard was a skinny kid smaller than Midoriya, so getting hit by him with the intention of ending the match meant taking quite the hit. Even Midoriya seemed surprised by how thoroughly he just wrecked Hiroto, as he paused for a moment as Mustard tried to at all rise after that.

"Damnit..."

_I can't lose...not now..._

...

...unless...

"I've got you Midoriya! Beat that punk!" Mina called out, waving over to her friend who was now preparing to fight Mustard again as the latter sought and fought to get up.

"Mustard!"

_Pony..._

Seeing her friend get thrashed so thoroughly made Pony ignore her own pain for a moment to force herself past Koda as he tried to aid Tsuyu, who in turn had used her tongue to assist Tokoyami in fighting Monoma...but in doing so had her ridiculously long tongue extended too far to retract in time for someone grabbing it, which Pony did with both hands.

"R-ribbit?"

"Pony borrowing this!"

Twisting in place, Pony used some of the strength she inherited from her equine heritage to twist Tsuyu around and smash into her various classmates nearby, then with all of her force flipped her over Pony's own head to slam her down like a hammer...right on top of Tokoyami, who was busy avoid Bondo's Quirk from Monoma to notice the incoming frog.

"Angry Bird, today Frog smash you!"

Tokoyami turned right in time to see Tsuyu crashing down on top of him, even as his Quirk Dark Shadow continued to try and fight Monoma.

**_"Ribbiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttt!"_**

Tsuyu's rapidly descending body slammed Tokoyami into the floor, and Monoma grinned as he got his opportunity to finally pin down the bird man who had him on the ropes until that very moment. Thanks to Bondo's Quirk the frog and bird would be stuck together for quite awhile now.

"Thanks for the assist, Pony!"

Aizawa may have tried to hide it, but there was a bit of surprise Midnight was able to pick up on in his voice when he made the next announcement, "Tokoyami and Asui are eliminated. Five to three."

From seventeen to five, and five to three...Hiroto's team was certainly performing quite well, what with only having Midoriya, Koda, Mina, Shoji, and Mineta left to their Monoma, Pony, and Hiroto.

Of course Midoriya would take out Mustard the next time he hit him, so it wasn't quite a victory yet...something Hiroto was well aware of as he brought a hand to his own face and removed his mask. This act confused Midoriya, who tried to think of some ulterior motive...only for Hiroto to toss it as hard as he could towards where Pony was.

"Pony, catch!"

Realizing that he was giving up his own ability to endure the poison gas to her so she could withstand Monoma's, Pony still was shocked by the act and called out to him as she scooped it up before anyone else could.

"Hiro!"

Midoriya missed his next attack because Hiroto collapsed down on the ground, a punch sailing through where Mustard's chest had been moments before, and rather than just stomp on Hiroto the noble student of Class 1-A looked down at the kid grasping his own chest in pain with one hand as he used the other to keep himself at least _partly_ upright even if he was still barely on his knees.

"You gave up your mask? That was..."

Midoriya wanted to say 'heroic', but the words died in his chest as he saw Hiroto's eyes flicker as he began to fall to the floor...Midoriya's costume had a built-in mask so he was able to breathe longer than his classmates would in the same circumstance, so he figured that since Mustard had still been releasing gas that he just dosed himself. He was defeated, just like at the Training Camp, since he had been breathing hard and obviously inhaled some right? The gas had even stopped coming from Hiroto, helping sell the idea that he was unconscious.

That was when he noticed something: Hiroto's gun was no longer in his right hand, the one he was using to hold himself up previously.

_Where'd it go—_

Right as he had that thought Midoriya was shot in the foot, and as he used his strength to break free of the first shot Hiroto used the last seconds he had of breath to fire every last shot in this clip right up at Midoriya until one managed to hit his mask and dislodge it. With Midoriya pinned in place by other shots, caught off-guard by the cheap trick, he was unable to reach his mask in time before he needed to breathe since another shot caught him square in the chest and winded him.

"So...naive..."

Hiroto wanted to chuckle, but he didn't have the time or breath to as he collapsed for real this time...it was a risk, but how else could he beat someone like Midoriya in close range combat except by a cheap trick? He got the sense that Midoriya was sympathizing with him a bit, that by helping Pony he could buy himself maybe enough sympathy points to keep Midoriya from just beating him down into the dirt even if it seemed he was unconscious anyways...and it worked. He bought himself just enough time to shoot Midoriya at a range the other kid couldn't really dodge a bullet, and now Midoriya was doomed to pass out just like him.

_I hate losing before Monoma...but I trust you Pony..._

"Hiroto and Midoriya are eliminated. The current teams are four to two."

Monoma found himself nodding at his fallen ally, accepting another sacrifice for the sake of defeating 1-A and applauding the way Hiroto managed to neutralize the other remaining major threat with trickery. He would make for a good classmate, he figured, especially if class 1-A and 1-B were going to compete more in the future.

"Found you!"

He turned just in time to realize that during this display two of his opponents had used the opportunity to sneak up on him: 1-B was not the only ones able of utilizing dirty tricks after all, and given that Monoma was not used to sensing others in the poison mists he did not really feel the approach of Shoji as the hulking member of 1-A grabbed hold of him. Shoji's hearing and eyes he could spawn from his tentacles allowed him to track Monoma down, and now Monoma was stuck in a position where he could not actually use his Quirks against them: they were already too close to really beat with the poison gas, and for Monoma he released Bondo's Quirk from his hands which were forced away from Shoji's own body thanks to his tentacles.

"We got him! Told you we could do it Shoji!" Mineta cheered from atop his friend's back, taking purple orbs from atop his head to begin hurling down at Monoma and restrain him. With enough Monoma would be considered neutralized, and so all Shoji had to do was hold Monoma in place until he was thoroughly pinned.

"To think I would lose to your class in such a way..." Monoma grumbled, only to then use one of his restrained arms to use Bondo's Quirk not at Shoji but at the _other_ members of Class 1-A, "But I'm not done yet! This is for all of those who are overlooked thanks to you!"

Mina had been firing shots at Pony, who had been using the remaining poison gas from Monoma to evade her ranged attacks while retaliating with launched horns, and so her attention was not on Monoma when his bonding cement launched out at her...which Koda moved in the way to prevent, knowing that his control over animals had no real use here.

Unfortunately for Koda, Monoma launched every ounce of cement he could, so not only was Koda frozen in place, but the remainder splashed over him to freeze Mina's upper torso and legs as well. With her arms outstretched towards Pony, she couldn't actually angle her own acid to free herself, and thus was removed from the battle as well.

"Awww, damnit! Where'd that come from!?"

As Mineta tackled Monoma to the ground in anger for beating his teammates, pinning him down with the last of his purple orbs, Monoma smiled over at his only remaining ally who now was left to face two more opponents...Shoji, Mineta, and Pony were all that remained.

"It's up to you now."

"Koda, Ashido, and Monoma have been eliminated as well. Now it is two against one."

Pony breathed heavily as she finished her current gallop, no longer needing to outrun Mina's attacks...and found herself left by the unconscious Hiroto. The gas was beginning to fade with both his and Monoma's defeat, but being able to hide in Monoma's mists allowed her to outlast almost everyone else...something she had Hiroto to thank for, even if she had to poke holes through his mask to put it on. She'd get Mei to fix it later, but for now there was something else to borrow...

"Class 1-B aren't the only ones who don't get the spotlight! We're gonna win this for Class 1-A, aren't we Shoji!" Mineta yelled as he climbed back atop his friend, ready to ride the octopus-man forward into battle to defeat Pony.

"Yeah..."

Pony braced herself and fired another set of horns at the charging Shoji and Mineta, fairly confident that she couldn't overpower the giant octopus person even with her strength but not willing to give up regardless. As Shoji swatted aside her horns and ran at her so Mineta could throw his neutralizing orbs, Mineta continued to yell out indignantly.

**_"I don't know who the Hell this guy we're fighting over is, or why he gets to hang out with Miss Midnight, but it's not fair and I'm gonna give him payback! Midnight's way better than Mount Lady anyways, I should have gotten an internship with her somehow!"_**

"Pony gonna win..." she breathed heavily again as she ran to the side to avoid Mineta, not coming to a stop but rather just making a long turn around to continue avoiding them as they chased after her, "For Hiro...for class...for all friends..."

Midnight wanted to cheer her on, but things were so close that she had lost all her ability to speak...but fortunately for her another member from the sidelines was willing to pipe up and do just that.

"You show them Pony! Show them the power of my babies!"

The pink haired mechanic girl was excited about how well her tech was working, but from beside her another member of the audience saw fit to chastise her outburst.

"Miss Hatsume, we are here as observers. It would behoove you to sit respectably on the sidelines as the testing process finishes!"

Iida was always a stick in the mud...but Midnight grinned anyways, finding the dynamic between the two cute now that she saw it. Mad scientist and obsessive class president...

"Haha, behoove! Get it, because she's a Pony? You sure are a funny guy!" Mei laughed as she continued to barely pay Iida any mind, misreading his scolding as a joke since her attention was fully on Pony outrunning the other two while trying to find an avenue for attack, "Now, where was I...oh, right! Beat them up and show everybody just how useful my Support gear is!"

Eventually Shoji was able to grab a shard of Todoroki's ice and hurl it at where Pony was going, forcing her to dodge it, only to slip on a remaining patch of ice...the slip caused her to slide into a wall hard, with Pony wincing in pain as she fought to get up. Running at the speed of a horse essentially into a wall hurt pretty badly after all.

Shoji began to approach her carefully, intent on not being caught off-guard like Midoriya had been by a downed foe since she still had her electric horn technique and her ranged attack...Mineta was preparing to hurl a huge wad of orbs at once to hit Pony no matter where she ran to next, while Shoji was closing in carefully.

"You should yield. You are wounded, and you cannot overpower me even if you are stronger than you look."

Pony found her way up to her 'feet', her hooves unsteady as she pulled out a fairly small object from her shirt.

"No...can't overpower..." lifting her arm up she revealed to Shoji she took something important from Mustard, something she had been reloading with the ammo left on Hiroto's fallen body, "But no need power when have gun."

Shoji lunged forward as he realized that he had only been checking her hands and pockets for anything threatening, trying his best to tackle Pony and defeat her before she could shoot him...but the speed of an octopus was not equal to that of a cement pellet bullet, and soon he was left completely immobile only feet away from her.

Pony giggled as she stopped her charging hulking opponent in his tracks, pleased with Mei's weapon, "Kendo silly. Guns useful."

"SHOJI!" Mineta cried out in anguish as his friend was defeated, in the process causing Mineta to fall off of him due to the sudden stop.

Having fallen on the side of his head, Mineta was not able to accurately aim as he hurled his orbs at Pony, and in the process only managed to pin one leg to the ground...only for Pony to use a removed horn to rip off that part of her pants and be completely fine. It hadn't even pinned her or anything, so Mineta began to hurl orbs wildly afterwards even as his eyes gushed in fearful tears at having to face down someone with essentially a gun at point blank range.

"Since when did you know how to fire a gun!? **_Why does a girl know how to shoot a gun like that!?"_**

Pony blinked at him as she let a couple of the orbs harmlessly hit her, thinking over how to respond for a moment, and then lowered her gun to shoot Mineta as he tried to tag her directly with more orbs.

"...America, fuck yeah."

A shot hit an arm, freezing it, a shot hit his upper leg, making it hard to move, and still he tried to crawl forward and pin both of Pony's hooves to the ground so she would be eliminated...

**_"I just need to tag you! Shoji, this is for you!"_**

...only for Pony to shoot him right in the chest and sent him falling back, where she could then use her horns to pin him down since she had no ammunition left.

And with that, the battle was won.

"...Shoji and Mineta are eliminated. Pony is the only remaining combatant, and so..."

Aizawa sighed, irritation evident in his tone as he realized almost all of his class were just defeated by a few members of Class 1-B. To say he was upset was to put it lightly, but he was at least professional enough to not make a big deal of it right now.

"Hiroto will be joining Class 1-B," he glanced over to the unconscious Mustard and shrugged, "I would tell him the good news but he can't hear it. Congratulations I suppose..."

This said, Midnight was brought to tears as she rushed to hug Pony for winning the match for her son. The two cheered in celebration, all the while Aizawa was doing his best to not let his eye twitch at the sight of his students strewn about the room...defeated by a mixture of powerful Quirks, determination, and dirty tricks, he felt the need to make them 'learn' from the experience.

"Yaoyorozu, you are in charge of cleanup duty. Inform everyone that I am going to be increasing their training for losing a match where they had a four to one number advantage...that goes double for Bakugo, who got eliminated before it even began."

Momo stopped her assistance of bringing Todoroki to the medical robots sent by Recovery Girl to tend to the wounded to give a nod to her teacher, "Y-yes sir."

If Aizawa was inwardly furious, Midnight was outwardly exuberant, and so ended Hiroto's second entrance exam to U.A...and this time it was die to his Quirk he got in, rather than losing entirely because of it.

* * *

**A/N: I wanted to give everyone their own bit to shine, especially some lesser used members of both classes, so here's the second entrance exam for Mustard! The aftermath will be next chapter I decided as I'm brainstorming some extra stuff for it, but in the meantime I hope you enjoyed our action packed update!**

**Special thanks to D. , Spartan3909, John Prodman, reza0807, and a Guest for your reviews last time, as well as reza0807, stealthgeneral, unweymexicano, KyleVindicate13, and JackHammerMan for your favorites/follows! I appreciate your support and hope you continue to enjoy!**

**Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope you will let me know your thoughts in the reviews below!**


	11. Kinship

**Chapter 11: ****Kinship**

* * *

"Hiro..."

The boy's eyes flickered open as suddenly he remembered the meaning of pain, wincing as soon as he managed to actually open his eyes, and then wishing he was still unconscious from his gas...he hadn't breathed in much so he woke up only after a short while, but it was still enough time for most of Class 1-A to head out. Now in a far less crowded room, he found himself personally crowded by Pony on one side of him and Midnight on the other.

He realized perhaps why he was awake when he felt Pony lightly shaking his head, not helping his pain at all of course, "Wakey wakey, we won."

_...we won?_

_..._

_...I mean of course we won._

He would have vocalized these thoughts if not for the intense pain in his chest that served as a reminder of how he was injured in the skirmish that comprised his entrance exam. Wincing, he reached for his chest and found next that his arm he tried to use was also sore: between Mina's acid, Oijiro's physical beatdown, and the encounter with Midoriya there was only so much Hiroto's body could take before it decided it didn't want to do things.

"Here, give him this."

Recovering from his wince, Hiroto noticed Midnight handing Pony an icepack to apply to him, and so he did not argue or fight when he felt its cold touch a moment later. He was not exactly sure how ice packs functioned, but he knew they helped, and since he didn't want to go get a kiss from Recovery Girl this was to be his friend for the time being.

"Pony..."

She seemed glad to see him awake, something that pleased Hiroto in return, though his crush was taking a seat in the background of his mind over the fact that his side _won_. That meant he was going to be joining U.A.'s Hero Course, right?

"We won!" Pony cheered, obviously pleased with herself even if her uniform was damaged and her hair all messed up from the battle. All seemed well for Hiroto until Pony decided to celebrate this moment by _hugging_ him, at which point he was glad her head was over one of his shoulders because otherwise she would see him blush for very much the same reason he felt awkward when Midnight embraced him. He could blame it on his feelings, he could blame it on him not really having experience with hugs (especially those from girls), but the simple fact was that he could feel her chest pressed against his own and that left the teenager with an eye twitch in response as his body froze and shut down from sheer embarrassment.

If it was some other girl he'd probably tell them not to touch him, but since it was Pony...well he'd 'suffer' through the experience. In an ironic mirror of his own eye's twitch at the sudden contact Hiroto noticed Midnight giving him a wink, though he just looked away from her and instead tried to regather his thoughts.

He won. His tactics seemed to have played out favorably even after he collapsed, and if he had to guess Pony was the one to win things since he didn't see Monoma around. Students were still being pried from cement and/or escorted to Recovery Girl, so it had not been too long since the battle's completion...he supposed he owed it to Pony that he was now going to be a real U.A. student. She had not only been the last one standing, but been the one to convince Hatsume, Tetsu, Bondo, and Monoma to assist him...without any one of those things Hiroto felt he would have failed.

A part of him felt proud not just because of his victory, but because he managed to end up liking a girl who kept validating the feelings he held for her rather than somehow prove herself unworthy of such affections. Pony was weird, yes, but she was strong, smart, and most of all _kind_...she didn't have to do any of this and yet had.

Finished with his thoughts, one question lingered on Mustard's mind all the same...that was if anything he did managed to disqualify him, just like the last time he collapsed partway into an entrance exam and woke up to find that for all he accomplished he still did not pass. So much of this was familiar in fact, down to waking up with Midnight by his side, but he hoped the outcome would indeed be different now.

"So, do I..."

Midnight, sensing the apprehension in his voice, responded with a warm smile as she knelt beside him and brushed stray hair out of his eyes.

"You will be joining the Hero Course as a member of Class 1-B. From what I hear Class 1-A's prospective student, the one who can control others' minds, also passed his test with the rest of Class 1-B and will be joining Class 1-A. Now both will have twenty one students...and you're one of them."

Pony finally let Hiroto go so that his mother could hug him instead, taking Midnight's place as the one smiling over at the two embracing, and unlike with Pony he was actually able to bring himself to hug Midnight back.

"I'm so proud of you," Midnight spoke softly, not in a whisper but rather in a tone that conveyed how relieved she was that he won.

Without thinking much of it Hiroto responded as he would have in these past days whenever she said or did something to embarrass him, "Mom..."

He loved the attention, craved it in fact, but that had the side effect of it clouding his judgment a bit and making Hiroto not consider that no-one except Pony, Aizawa, and of course Midnight herself knew his relation to Midnight.

**_"MOM!? MIDNIGHT'S A MILF!? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN!?"_**

Ripped out of his brief reverie, Hiroto cast a glance over at a nearby statue of a student, having apparently been shot numerous times by who he presumed was Pony since he didn't do it and he figured Pony could use a gun given her upbringing. It was that Mineta kid, the one with purple hair who could make orbs and who was envious of Hiroto spending time with Midnight.

The secret was going to get out sooner rather than later, but before anyone else could respond to Mineta's outburst his own teacher beat them to the chase.

"Go back to your dorm room, Mineta, or see Recovery Girl if you need medical attention," Aizawa spoke dryly, as if he was thoroughly done with his class for the day given their seventeen on five advantage which they _lost_. The tired man just wanted to sleep.

**_"I'M STUCK HERE!"_**

"Seems like a personal problem."

Hiroto found himself grinning at the flippant response given by the teacher, just as Midnight and Pony were both amused by Mineta's own responses, but despite this brief amusement Hiroto felt himself confronted with something he knew was coming and just wanted to ignore until now...

Almost every boy in the school wanted to sleep with his mother. Almost every boy would ogle her body all day every day.

And, worst of all, Midnight encouraged it. It was one thing to have a hot teacher...it was another to have that teacher, who was world famous for her looks and provocative nature, _be your mother._

**_"SHOJI, HELP! I HAVE TO LET THE MASSES KNOW!"_**

"I'm stuck too..."

Sighing, Hiroto realized that he was going to have to deal with lots of kids like this in the near future.

"I'm going to kill him."

Midnight flashed a wicked yet endearing smile at Hiroto, amused heavily by the very thing that had him exasperated, "Awww, how sweet of my little boy, defending his mother's honor..."

Pony was smiling as well as she brought a hand up to his hair and rustled it, drawing Hiroto's attention away from Mineta and back to herself, "He silly boy like you. Rest now, kill later."

Since he could not really stand on his own Hiroto couldn't really argue with this, instead vowing to use whatever reputation he got (almost assuredly a horrible one) to scare off anyone from publicly displaying their lust towards his mother. He couldn't really change the way Midnight acted, but he _could_ police how others reacted to her since he was already sure he could take almost all of the students at U.A. in a one-on-one fight. So long as he could keep his own class in line he could probably get by without going _back_ to jail, but he'd rather scare others off than actually have to teach them not to think about his mother a certain way.

Aizawa walked by them while Mustard considered King Zog from that American cartoon style executions for anyone who looked at his relative, Class 1-A's homeroom teacher begrudgingly giving respect where it was due for how Hiroto handled his battle, "Your fighting style was unorthodox and underhanded...maybe you can cut it as a Pro Hero after all. Fighting 'fair' is an easy way to get yourself killed, so don't lose that."

Surprised, Mustard's thoughts of possibly making an example of a few students were cast aside to realize that instead of demeaning him for playing dirty he was actually just praised for it. He certainly wasn't expecting that, especially not from the teacher of the students who just got sucker punched...sure he knew Eraserhead was known for being no-nonsense and pragmatic, but it was still nice to _hear_ it from the reclusive Hero.

"Thanks Mister Aizawa..."

With that small exchange Aizawa left, perfectly content to leave his students as they were, be it unconscious or frozen in place. He wanted their failure to sting, so helping them out of their predicaments would take some of that sting away. He was already envisioning plans of how he would train them to the bone to make up for today, focusing on that future rather than his upset present.

With Aizawa quietly stalking away it left Midnight to continue congratulating her son, smiling brightly at him as she thought about commemorating this victory, "Let's go out for lunch Hiroto, once you and Pony have seen Recovery Girl. We should celebrate!"

He had no objection to that, even though he didn't _want_ to go get kissed by an old grandma...why couldn't Pony have had the healing lips? Though he did suppose that would mean she would have to kiss other guys...still, he was the sort who wanted to complain about things when he could and having some stranger kiss him to heal his injuries was not high on his priority list even if it meant removing his pain.

"Can Tetsu, Bondo, and Monoma come too?" Pony asked sweetly, still the kind and sweet girl to Mustard's cynical and standoffish boy...though the more time he spent with her the more Hiroto felt that maybe there was a bit more to Pony than the friendly facade. Sure it was who she truly was, but it wasn't _all_ she was.

"Sure, if they like. I have them to thank for my dear Hiroto officially joining U.A.'s Hero Course," Midnight agreed, already having planned on giving her thanks to the others and now having a way to do so, "What about your lady friend, Miss Hatsume?"

Pony hadn't forgotten her, she just knew better than to bother including Hatsume.

"Celebrating is not building or studying inventions. She rather make 'Babies'."

Midnight couldn't help but crack a grin at that, feeling that she would like this other girl too if they spent time together. She had heard Mei's cheering on her inventions (rather than the people they were attached to) throughout the entrance exam, so she was quite the quirky Quirk user, which when coupled with her beauty (somewhat offset by her Quirk altering her eyes) and habit of saying things that embarrass other people made Midnight see a bit of a younger version of herself in Mei.

Hopefully not _too_ much of herself though...it might be difficult for Hatsume to do much inventing (at least the way she did it, explosions and all) if she got knocked up before she even graduated.

"Well I would feel bad if we don't at least ask..." Midnight chuckled as she thought about the weird Support Course student, soon turning and projecting her voice over to where the pink-haired mad scientist was leaving presently with another member of the spectators, "Miss Hatsume, would you care to come celebrate with all of us?"

"Can't, I'm going to be busy making Babies with robot-arms!"

With Pony's assessment proven correct and Midnight being Midnight, the two both burst out laughing as Hiroto hung his head in embarrassment over his own mother's immaturity.

**_"PHRASING MISS HATSUME! I ONLY AGREED TO LET YOU RUN DIAGNOSTICS TESTS ON MY ARMOR!"_**

Hiroto may not have known him well, but he found himself giving a silent prayer for Iida.

"Have fun you two!" Midnight cheered them on, having always enjoyed 'shipping' her own students especially when opportunities such as this arose where personalities clashed so fervently.

It was perhaps ironic that her own significant other was so similar to her.

* * *

Lunch was a largely mundane affair save for the act of celebrating Hiroto's entrance to U.A., as while invited none of the others were able to come. Tetsu had agreed to help Kendo with something, Bondo wanted to work on his plastic models now that he had a cool helmet to add to his collectibles, and Monoma was busy trying to rub his team's victory into 1-A's face because Monoma. That just left an exhausted Hiroto and Pony with Midnight, who had enough energy to spare for the two of them.

Everything seemed to be shaping up well, and Midnight could not be happier given the circumstances, so she was quite exuberant in her overall mood...and while Hiroto was feeling great he mostly was just fighting off the urge to fall asleep while he ate. Recovery Girl's Quirk sped up natural recovery at the cost of stamina, and so he was presently drained and working on recovering bit by bit so he could actually be productive later on.

Food would help with that he felt, so he ate up even as he didn't speak much...though he did jokingly remark that he was surprised that Pony went to the school doctor rather than a Veterinarian, something that earned him a tongue stuck out defiantly...and Pony's admission that she sees both doctors and vets just to be safe. So as to not be completely laughed at she explained that because of Quirks there are entire new fields of medicine being explored, so she would rather be safe than sorry after her Aunt Bloom caught something her normal doctor could not identify only for a local vet to reveal it to be an illness horses catch.

Rather than embarrass Pony on a personal issue they left it at that, though Hiroto was forced to come to the realization that while they were all still Human that word was growing far less meaningful and defined than how it was in his history books...Pony really _was_ part equine and could do the things equines could do, just like how Frogger was actually a frog in many ways. It was odd certainly, but he didn't quite care since he liked Pony for who she was, not for or in spite of her animal features.

Sure she had a mundane Quirk in some senses, but being able to fly, attack at range with jagged horns, possess the strength of a beast, and run like a race-horse could were all fairly good when brought together in one bundle. Given his personality he would likely be more tweaked by Pony having a weak Quirk that was useless than by her having hooves instead of feet, a tail, and horns sprouting from her head.

Once lunch was over Midnight drove them back to campus, seeing Pony off to the 1-B dorm and bringing Hiroto back to their home while also undergoing the security check process for Hiroto upon leaving and exiting campus. Every time they wanted to go they had to essentially sign him out, have him be inspected for any disallowed objects, give a detailed schedule for where they were going and for how long, and then the same on the way back. Anything he did while out would be held against not just him but Midnight if he broke any laws or rules, so while he was monitored by an ankle bracelet he was also being held to account in another way as well.

With the day settling down now that Hiroto had passed his exam and Midnight had no further obligations the two settled into things at home, relaxing first with a movie of Hiroto's choice before getting back into discussing some important paperwork and things Midnight had arranged for him. She wanted him to actually be able to remember this day fondly, when he began to truly turn around his life, and didn't want to saddle him with chores and the like for just this brief moment...besides, he was going to be busy with other tasks later that would likely be quite energy consuming so the dishes could wait.

"Once all the paperwork is done you can begin classes properly, so chances are you will have to wait until this coming week, but in the meantime I have permission to give you private lessons when I am not teaching my usual ones."

Just because he passed today didn't mean he could just slide into class next week: he would have to wait a few days for everything to be settled now that he had passed. You didn't begin school the day after the entrance exam after all, so there were just some bureaucratic matters to take care of now...even more than there would usually be thanks to Hiroto's unique situation.

Of course he expected this all, so he just was glad he would get to spend time learning about his Quirk from Midnight rather than wasting entire days just waiting for school to begin, "I could learn a lot from you...you know our Quirk far better than I do."

Continuing on, Midnight handed Hiroto a folder with various pieces of paper within it, letting him look it over a moment before speaking.

"I also got you a copy of Class 1-B's schedule so you can have a basic idea of what you have ahead of you in terms of course-load," seeing him eye over the courses and what his days would be like, Midnight let him again look things over a moment before resuming her explanation, "Since other students have already done internships outside of U.A. to grow into their roles as future Heroes you will need to do so as well. You have a lot of catching up to do, but I don't want you falling behind your classmates, so while you are waiting for your normal classes to begin I intend to have you begin your internship as well."

That earned a scoff from Hiroto, who found the idea of a Hero Agency actually taking him on to assist them laughable.

"Is the government strong-arming some Pro Hero into taking me in? Or does U.A. just have people clamoring for former Villains to be their lackeys?"

His flippant response to his own situation saddened Midnight, as while at least he was not crying over things, it still did show that he held a low opinion of himself...perhaps not entirely unearned, but she did want to help rebuild his actual confidence and not the smug bravado he displayed in combat with others. He acted like he was in control of his feelings and self-image, but in reality he was anything but.

"I'll admit it wasn't easy to get you any offers, even from the agencies that normally beg U.A. for students," gesturing to papers on the other side of the folder, Nemuri directed his attention towards the ones that had to do with this present line of conversation, "But some were willing to help out anyways, and I wanted you to be able to choose which one you wanted to join, so here they are."

The pile was thinner than the fabric Midnight used for her Hero Costume. In fact it was thinner than some chapters in books, since many of those went on for a few pages at most for maybe a thousand words or so...while this pile was nothing more than three pages, one for each offer Hiroto was given.

Looking through his shallow list of options, Hiroto could not help but frown as he realized how hard he has made his life going forward, "Ingenium, the Catgirls..." both were involved with giving him this opportunity to be at U.A., but that also meant to Hiroto it felt like they were doing this because they feel sorry for him, "I hate being pitied, but they are notable Pro-Heroes," looking further, the last piece of paper seemed to just be a placeholder 'offer' that would be replaced with an official one soon given the note Midnight wrote on it, "What's the last one? It doesn't look like the other offers."

Sitting beside Hiroto on their couch, Nemuri smiled at him softly as she saw him look over this last option...one she had arranged for not all too long ago, thus the lack of proper official paperwork regarding it.

"Gunhead Martial Arts."

Given how he studied many notable Heroes and their Quirks in the past the man known as Gunhead was within his scope of knowledge, being a ranged Quirk user whose physical strength was monstrous after all his personal training thus making him a threat up close and at range.

This said, it didn't mean he knew much else about him other than the fact he ran a dojo of sorts to train others in his style of fighting.

"How'd you get him to agree to this?"

"His dojo has taken in kids from rough backgrounds before and done them a lot of good by teaching them restraint and emotional strength," Midnight explained, still smiling, "He is also an old friend of mine, like Aizawa and your future English teacher Present Mic. All I had to do was ask him if he would take in a student of mine and he agreed."

A friend of his mother's? Well that would certainly explain why a well-regarded Hero would out of the blue just offer him a spot working alongside him...now all that was left was deciding which one to pursue.

"So pity or nepotism..." Hiroto mused to himself, "I suppose at this point I don't have much else that could work in my favor."

As much as he enjoyed doing it, complaining wouldn't help anything right now. He was just fortunate these others would be willing to help him, especially after he helped the organization which attacked the Cats...and he was fortunate his mother was still doing everything in her power to help him through all of this.

"The Catgirl Cafe squad really know how to push someone to their limits, I saw them training the students at U.A., but I don't think they would set up an entire training camp just for me. One of them got captured and lost their Quirk to the League of Villains, so I'm not sure I'd be comfortable working with them even if they have forgiven me..." he said to himself as he thought things through, contemplating the subject thoroughly so he could pick which one felt best for him, "Ingenium on the other hand would be able to teach and tell me about what it means to be a Hero I bet, he's pretty famous after all, but it'd be like going to school: he can't go on missions anymore so I'd rather do that more philosophical sort of training later when I know more of what I'm doing, unless he pawns me off on a sidekick which wouldn't be fun either."

With so few options that only left one...but it was one he was okay with.

"I'll intern with Gunhead. From what I hear he's a ranged Quirk user who taught himself close-ranged combat. If I don't want to be beaten into the dirt whenever someone gets past my Quirk I need to know how to defend myself...I doubt I will be allowed to just carry a gun everywhere, so I'd rather not be defenseless."

He would _like_ to carry a gun, but right now that was just a pipe-dream. So beating people down into the dirt with the No Mercy rule he learned well from television was all he could hope for.

Nemuri seemed happy with his decision, and so he felt all the more confident in it.

"So, I know you're tired after earlier, but once you feel better how about we begin our training, and then drop by Gunhead's agency so I can introduce you? The sooner we can get things started the sooner you can catch up to everyone."

"I will probably still be tired, but I suppose I'll just have to get used to that sort of thing," Hiroto admitted, knowing how rigorous things could get at U.A. from the stories he heard and from having watched them train, "What's Gunhead like? Kind of hoping I didn't just sign up for a death-wish of a mentor who will work me to the bone even after I've exhausted myself in class all day."

"Oh he will _definitely_ work you hard and to the bone and then some, but you'll learn a lot of valuable skills in the process. Gunhead is very talented with his hands and a master at what he does," his mother responded in her usual teasing voice dripping with charged terminology...and yet not as bad as it could have been.

Not as bad does not mean 'comfortable' though, so the bashful Hiroto felt the need to bring it up.

"...do you try to make everything sound like an innuendo, or do you just not realize?"

"Oh sweetie, this is me toning things down. Do you want me to make innuendo about grappling and dominating your opponent in close quarters, or do you want to go watch another movie?"

"Movie."

"That's a good boy."

* * *

"You know I'm proud of you, right Hiroto?"

Another movie had ended, leaving them in the early afternoon, and so energy was finally beginning to return to Hiroto when his mother said that out of the blue. The couch was large enough that the two had laid down beside one another in a show of affection, Hiroto curled up beside his mother in a display more expected of a five-year-old and their mother rather than someone fourteen years old with their mother, but neither really cared since they were making up for lost time anyways.

It was laying like this that Nemuri spoke up and deepened her embrace of him, making certain to show the kind of physical affection she was certain he had never received until now...and it was easy when what she said was true. He may appear surprised, as if he didn't truly believe he deserved any pride from her, but that only emboldened his straightforward mother to explain herself so as to help mitigate his recurring anxiety and worries throughout all of this.

"With just a couple friends you defeated almost an entire class of Japan's top students. You even outsmarted one of them to keep him from even competing," it was easy being a proud mother when her son did things as amazing as he had, "I am so proud of you, and I know you can go on to be a real Hero some day. That's one of the only things I ever wanted for you."

Hiroto, blushing and uncertain about how to respond to such positive reinforcement, focused on a part of it that didn't require him to address the praise directly.

"What were the others?"

Leaning in, Midnight kissed him on the forehead, "A family who could love you..." and leaning back out to grin wickedly at him, "And a harem of course!"

Sweet moment purposefully crashed by Nemuri herself, easing the tension in a sense, Hiroto blanched and turned away from her on the couch to try and hide his face.

"You're ridiculous."

_I should have expected as much..._

"I take you're into a more 'stable' relationship?"

...

"I refuse to dignify that with a response."

_Just like I'm totally not imagining eight of Pony in badlahs._

_Bad brain._

_Bad._

As much as she loved Hiroto, she knew her son well enough by now to know how tightly wound up he got and so loved to mess with him like she did anyone else who was like that...she had years of experience messing with Aizawa after all, since she knew few people who took themselves as seriously as 'Eraserhead'.

Someone needed to get Hiroto to calm down and relax, even at his own expense, so Midnight saw it as her job as his mother to help him out...even if it meant joking with him.

"Well, when you're ready to take a relationship head on by the horn just let me know and I'll help you out however I can. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't make sure my sweet boy was ready and able to have relationships of his own?"

She had a point, which stemmed some of Hiroto's natural frustration over his embarrassment, but at the same time he was too willful to just admit that.

"You done with this utter nonsense?"

If he wasn't going to give in, then Midnight supposed she would have to continue saying silly things, "Too bad she's the 'yeehaw!' sort of cowgirl or I'd say ending the puns now was 'udder' nonsense..." thinking to herself, Midnight began to think through the well of what puns she had access to, "Maybe I could get away with it though given those horns and 'other' features...decisions, decisions...chimeras give such opportunities for wordplay!"

Even her son had to admit at that point that his mother was an expert at what she did, even if it was not something he wanted any part in...or at least he wouldn't admit as such.

"How are you so good at this?"

Instead of being proud of her son Midnight found an opportunity to find some pride in herself here, "I use innuendo and puns all day every day for other reasons, what did you expect?"

"Can we just go train?"

"Sure, though today we take things easy and focus on some basics of how _my_ Quirk works, then comparing yours. That way Gunhead will have something to work with later!"

A part of Hiroto was really looking forward to beginning this kind of training with his mother, as having grown up idolizing Midnight in his own way he held a great respect for her prowess with her Quirk...

Another part of him just wanted her to stop teasing him and giving him poisonous thoughts of Pony though.

The location chosen for their training would soon confuse him as they arrived. He was wearing normal clothes along with a gas mask he was temporarily sanctioned to use, while Midnight in turn was wearing her Hero Costume, but nothing Midnight had said had indicated they were just going to be out in a _field_. He figured they would go back to the training facility used earlier, so her decision being so mundane actually had him confused.

"A field?"

Nemuri had good reason though for her choice though, spreading her arms out wide to demonstrate the absolute freedom around them on this part of U.A.'s campus, "Wide open space for our Quirks to fade into the sky above when they are used. If we trained inside they would linger more, while here we can essentially 'reset' our surroundings whenever we well please. Maybe another time we can focus on indoors training, but I can't think of a better environment for us to work with for our Quirks than this. Nothing is in our way, so we can just use them as we please."

Understanding her reasoning, Hiroto just nodded and waited for her to give further instruction. This was truth be told the first time he had ever really worked on his Quirk with someone else...willingly at least, for the other participant.

"Tell me, can you control the dosage of your Quirk yet? Its strength and general effect?"

Hiroto shook his head no, wishing he could but not having had an environment to really practice and test it exhaustively before. That is to say, he hasn't had enough 'test subjects' to really feel everything out, "Not really...just the quantity I create."

Midnight nodded as she took mental note of where he was at, "I figured as much. You don't seem to get tired while using it either, do you?"

"I can keep it going for hours. I haven't had a lot of freedom to train my Quirk or test it out, but one thing I _could_ do was go to places like this where no-one is and just use it as long as I can."

"I can breathe through your Quirk since it is so similar to my own, so in theory if I have you undergo the same training I did you will end up with similar results," Midnight went on to explain, "It took years to learn how to properly handle this Quirk though, so I hope you will have patience...good things come to those who wait."

Beneath his mask Hiroto couldn't help but smirk at her statement, knowing what she was saying to be true but also taking it as a challenge to surmount given his nature, "Since you already paved a path it should be easier for me, so I will do my best."

That brought a grin out from Midnight, who appreciated her son's ambition and competitive nature even if it was comparing himself to her, "Ohoho, confident are we? Fine then, let's see what you've got Hiroto!"

Without further adieu Midnight summoned forth her own Quirk and had Hiroto do the same so that they could begin feeling his Quirk out...the only way that could be done was by testing his limits and figuring out where he stood, and that was what she intended to do.

* * *

It took a couple hours for Hiroto to run out of his Quirk, and by sensing it with her own Quirk it was possible for Midnight to properly gauge where he was at. She did not possess the same 'sense' he had with his, but she could still sense it to a small degree and by focusing and also having Hiroto focus on the fluctuations of his own poison they were able to figure out some general details for his Quirk.

Thanks to some volunteers from General Studies (members of the Midnight Boys, Hiroto figured) and sanctions from Hiroto's parole board they were able to even test out the effects of his Quirk on others rather than just his ability to manipulate it and sustain it. The results were as follows: Hiroto could maintain a potent poison for two hours straight in a radius of around 0.5 kilometers at maximum, it required a variable amount of time but never too short for it to go from simple knockout gas to possessing dangerous effects, and so long as the poison was not disturbed in some way he could sense everything down to the last little detail in his fog which allowed for his unerring accuracy when he did use a firearm.

Furthermore he only could manipulate it to a small degree, unable to project it in one direction only for long before it would become a thick mist all around him, and he could not really alter the consistency or nature of the gas yet. On the subject of its lethal possibilities (only allowed to be tested and studied because that would help further contain Mustard by knowing how dangerous he was) it took at least a half hour for a subject to begin suffering side-effects, and up to an hour for others to...though of course the moment someone began suffering any ill-effects they were sent to be treated immediately, preventing any issue.

While all of it was quite basic, it was important to see where his Quirk was at especially in comparison to Nemuri's so they could begin working forward from that point until he could do what she did with her own: unlike Mustard, Midnight was able to project her Quirk as she pleased from her body, and as such she could use it for single-target or area of effect maneuvers as she pleased. While the distance she could emit it was much lower, within that distance she controlled it as much as one could a gaseous chemical that was apart from their body. She could also have her Quirk going all day without an issue, not that she demonstrated this fact now, and while she could not 'sense' things within the gas like Hiroto she was at least immune to it without outside help such as with his gas mask. What's more, her sleeping gas was far less lethal than his by default, requiring her to intentionally dose someone with thick and continued poison to negatively impact their health while his started at that point.

Their Quirks were inherently similar, but now that they were sure of where they stood apart they could begin working on improving their common traits as well as Mustard's own unique ones. It would be boring, thankless work just summoning forth poison into the air, but in time Hiroto hoped to improve his control over it and the parameters on his limits...that and the ability to turn _off_ his ability to sense everything in the gas, as feeling everything around you could lead to sensory overload at times...and be distracting when one of the things closest to you which you could feel most vividly was your mother. Your mother who you can make out the _exact_ form of thanks to the way the poison clouds everywhere but where her body is in its thick state.

Even when she wasn't trying to Midnight embarrassed Hiroto, but he made sure not to mention this fact to his mother because he knew she would tease him about it. He didn't need her joking that every time he did a training exercise with Pony or some other girl that he would be 'copping a feel' or anything like that.

So yeah, being able to at least turn off that sensory aspect at will would be nice, albeit just an added bonus to eventually controlling his Quirk.

As for when Midnight was _most definitely trying_ to mess with him, after their own training they cleaned things up (and helped carry people to Recovery Girl, who was supervising) they went to Gunhead's dojo to properly introduce him and Hiroto and begin his internship...only for Midnight to stop on the way to pick up 'something cute' from a store she apparently liked.

Hiroto, who couldn't not be in Nemuri's supervision or that of another sanctioned adult, had to stand right beside her as she gleefully bought a shirt she previously thought was hilarious but couldn't buy since it would out details about her personal life she had not told the public...but which would be all too public now.

The shirt was a simple one, one thats black and white color scheme matched her Hero costume perfectly...but which possessed a small blurb of text that had Hiroto hanging his head in shame the entire time.

"Hey Nemuri! Nice shirt!"

Hiroto remained bowing his head in an amount of shame he felt should balance the incredible lack of it possessed by his mother, who now in a shirt _way_ too tight for Hiroto's comfort (anything less than a baggy, XXXXXXL Sweatshirt would probably be too much, but still) that read 'Got MILF?' right across her chest.

Midnight thought it was hilarious. The person they were meeting thought it was funny too.

Hiroto was hoping whatever lesson he had tonight would remove this from his memory permanently with a strong enough hit to the head. Sure he had seen shirts like it before, and of course Midnight would be the sort to wear one, but he was still getting used to her...Midnightiness.

"Thank you, I thought it was cute," she remarks as she bows to Gunhead, who greeted them both at the entrance of his dojo, "I appreciate you doing this for me, Gunhead."

Despite his face being as red as a tomato underneath the gas mask he was wearing Hiroto still managed to find it in himself to properly bow to his gracious host, who would dare take him on despite the bad press and issues it could cause him. He already respected the Pro Hero for actually improving himself beyond what his Quirk allowed him to do, so he was actually already beginning to like him...he just had to question how someone who doesn't wear shirts could comment on how nice Midnight's was. Maybe _he_ should wear it? After all, as far as Hiroto could tell, Gunhead didn't have a family so him wearing a 'Got MILF?' shirt would be much more harmless than an actual mother doing so.

The thing was practically bursting on Midnight though, so there was no chance in Hell that it would ever fit over even part of the 6'3" Gunhead with his large muscles that while shapely were not exactly 'bodybuilder'. Still, Mustard took some refuge in the audacity of his new teacher wearing the shirt if he liked it so much just so he could get away from the fact his mother was actually wearing it.

While on the subject of clothes, Hiroto noticed that his mother was the only one with a visible face...he had his mask and Gunhead had his, leaving Midnight as the odd one out. The only reason Hiroto had his was that he could use it for his internship if called for, and since this was the first day he was allowed it, as well as on future dates when previously requisitioned...he didn't know what Gunhead wanted to do so he came as prepared as he could.

"No problem, anything for you Nemuri," the giant man with a kind and soft voice spoke familiarly with Midnight, only to quickly turn his head and bend over a bit to speak closer to eye-level with Hiroto, "You must be that new U.A. student I've heard about. Mustard was it? Word is you've got quite the Quirk!"

Despite his face being concealed Hiroto instantly found warmth and friendliness from the older man, exactly how he remembered seeing the Pro Hero the few times he saw him on TV. He seemed to be like Midnight in that way, being the same on the camera as he was in-person, and in this case that meant a laid-back guy who was nice to just about everyone he met.

Nice wasn't something Hiroto was used to dealing with yet though, so he only managed out a small "Yeah…" in response.

Seeing how nervous Mustard was Gunhead laughed to ease the tension a bit, standing up to his full height to laugh properly, "Don't worry, I don't bite..." this said, he lowered himself down to jokingly whisper in Mustard's ear, "At least not if you don't want me to, but that's kind of fighting dirty."

Hiroto was beginning to piece together why his mother and this Pro Hero were friends: they both were silly weirdos.

Speak of the devil, Midnight waved goodbye to them both and made her way to depart, "I don't want to be a third wheel, so I'll leave you two be. I'll be back in two hours, okay?"

"Sure! See you then Nemilfi!" Gunhead waved goodbye in return while Hiroto just gave a nod...he had trouble looking at her with that silly shirt on, but he felt he was going to have to get acclimated to such things over time. This was his baptism by fire in Midnightiness, and he was going to have to survive it even if he saw more skin on her in a week than he had on all women in his life up until now.

With Midnight gone it was just the two of them, and Hiroto wasn't quite where to start with this stranger so he just waited for Gunhead to talk...he didn't distrust him, he just had no idea how to start a conversation in this situation since like so much else he was going through this was new. It was easy to act like a tough guy when he was playing the role of villain, but now that he was just Hiroto it made it harder to summon forth such a persona unless he felt the need to put someone in their place.

"You seem a little tired already. Midnight already help train your Quirk today?"

Surprised that Gunhead could tell through all of his clothes and gasmask, Hiroto nodded once quickly and rose a brow beneath his helmet.

"That, and my entrance exam...how did you know?"

"Well she's obviously overseeing things if she brought you here, and from what I hear your Quirk has something to do with gas, so just an easy guess."

While by no means an award winning genius, it was easy to see now why this relatively young Pro Hero had his own agency and could run his own martial arts dojo: he was intuitive and figured things out easily and fast, good qualities for running a successful business and surviving in the Pro Hero world.

Shrugging, Hiroto tried to act like he wasn't impressed by the man's quick intuition and piecing together his situation so fast despite not even being able to see the majority of Hiroto, "My body aches a bit, but I'm game for whatever you've got. I mostly was studying with Midnight and testing my limits...not too much new material yet, but have to start somewhere."

Midnight hadn't mentioned if she told Gunhead about their relationship, so he wasn't going to tell if she hadn't...for now she was 'Midnight', not 'mom'.

"Cool! I'm sure you've noticed that Nemuri can be real exhausting, but she means well. I'm just glad she didn't whip you into shape so I still have something left to work with!"

...these two really _were_ alike, since he just said something almost exactly like Midnight had earlier without having been there, and she obviously didn't tell him her exact words she used that day, so Hiroto felt his natural apprehension of others lower even more as he stood before a kindred spirit to his own mother. Midnight could embarrass him, but he trusted her entirely, so someone just like her also felt worthy of such trust.

"Now, show me how you form a fist."

Confused, Hiroto held a fist out how he had always known to do it: thumb on the outside as you clench the other four fingers. While simple, it seemed to impress Gunhead based on his voice.

"Okay, good. Most people put their thumb on the inside, but you knew to keep it outside. You'd break your thumb if you threw a punch with it in the wrong position, so it's important to make sure everyone knows that going in."

To combat his natural unease with receiving praise Hiroto changed course in the conversation, making it sound like it was common knowledge to know how to form a fist without injuring yourself, "I don't know martial arts, but I've seen The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai like anyone with taste."

Gunhead seemed surprised by the mention of the old series, though it was a pleasant surprise which led him to point a finger to his own mask, "Oh, you like American movies? I'm more of a comics guy myself, I even based my mask off of Deadshot since I always felt his guns were a lot like my Quirk."

Having had little in the way of companionship growing up, Hiroto too had read comics...mostly ones he could find online since he wasn't given money to buy them at the store, but he read them all the same.

"Suicide Squad?"

Gunhead seemed happy to have found someone else who knew about his hobby, "Yeah! The movie sucked, but boy were those old school comics good. The older I get, the more I feel I can relate to him…" after a moment's pause Gunhead brought things back to the original topic, "But for now we should focus on feeling out your current skill level. If you chose my agency it means you want to work on your physical skills, so I'm going to make certain you're all set across the board."

_So just like what mom had me do...these two really are similar in a lot of ways, right down to showing off a lot of skin._

"Makes sense. So, Sensei Gunhead, want me to do twenty pushups or something?"

Hiroto literally knew nothing of actual training, having never focused on athletics given his scrawny size, so he just said the first thing that could test his physical state that he could think of...only to be surprised a moment later when Gunhead laughed.

"Hah, like you could," sadly Hiroto agreed with him, thus not arguing the point as Gunhead continued, "No, today's going to be more about seeing where you're at, so I want you to try and fight me how you would right now. Don't think about it too hard, just try and attack me without using your Quirk."

And so began a process by which Hiroto would try to punch Gunhead as instructed, only to find himself countered and diverted aside or even just flipped over and laid flat on his back instantaneously. This continued for a good sixty or so minutes until a sore Hiroto didn't feel like getting up from the floor after a particularly painful counter left him there.

"Why do I bother...I'm always going to be Hiccup, not Stoick. It was a mistake thinking I could actually get stronger...in Karate Kid terms this is like pitting Demetri against Johnny, it's just not fair from the get-go, and that's not to mention there are people with actual Superpower Quirks..."

Despite his complaining Hiroto soon found a hand outstretched to help him up, Gunhead not begrudging him at all for his whining since this was quite possibly the first time Hiroto ever really tried to apply himself in this way. While still wanting to whine a bit, Hiroto took the hand offered to him and allowed himself to be carried up by the immense might of Gunhead: it was evident that he was barely even trying to knock Hiroto over and yet still was doing so with as little effort as he could while still actually defending himself.

Given the foot difference between them Hiroto felt so small when he stood up right beside Gunhead, and it kind of intimidated him to be staring face-first into the ripped man's abs, but soon Gunhead knelt down and brought a hand to his should to comfort him in spite of his self-doubts.

"I was pretty small too when I was your age. Now I'm over six feet tall and built like a tank, so don't worry, I'm sure you'll keep growing. Not many guys stay that small forever, and remember that Demetri may have had a poor offense but he was smart enough to focus on a great defense. Use your head and you can accomplish what others can't...perseverance is the key to everything you achieve in life, remember that and you can accomplish anything."

...Hiroto had been choking back a tear before from the pain of being knocked down and around for fifteen minutes straight, from how he was essentially humiliating himself again and again...but now he felt a bit of hope welling up inside of his chest. Like maybe he _could_ improve if he just stuck through it.

Despite having known him for less than an hour, Hiroto found himself silently wondering if this was what it was like to have a father: someone supportive who would help you improve, but would make you work to do so. He couldn't say for certain since he had a complete absence of that sort of role in his life up until now, but he'd like to _think_ that having a positive male role model was something like this. He only had Midnight until now to look up to, and so it was weird actually beginning to like someone else as someone to look up to.

If he was around his peers Hiroto would probably be trying to maintain his pride right now, but alone with Gunhead...it was nice being told that maybe someday he could be the ripped giant who had a power rating of 5/5 on official scales despite not possessing a strength-enhancing Quirk just like how Stain had speed which surpassed normal human limits because he trained himself to obtain it.

In this world of Heroes and Villains hard work did work, and he could try and act above it all but he knew inside that he had neglected his physical state all this time because he placed too much faith in his Quirk. Having suffered from that misplaced faith numerous times now, he was willing to listen to someone tell him how to improve, and he found himself naturally drawn to the friendly and supportive Gunhead since he never had a teacher like that before at his schools.

Not only that, what he said reminded Hiroto a lot of Pony. Pony and Midnight got along well, so perhaps it made sense then that Gunhead was in some ways like Pony, down to having a Quirk that had them shoot keratin like weapons. The same sorts of personalities meshing together in similar ways, even if as people they were very different.

"You don't need to worry that you're going to be feeling silly laying on your back for awhile. Remember, today's just a diagnostic so I can come up with the best ways to help you out. It's gonna hurt, but this way it'll be a lot more personalized than if I were teaching you as a part of a larger class."

Hiroto nodded, trying to find the words to say something when suddenly his attention was torn from him and to a bag of his things he brought with him...a bag that was now buzzing because his phone was being called.

Since only his mother and Pony had his number so far (to his knowledge), he figured it might be something important and so asked permission to go check on it which Gunhead swiftly granted. Somewhat worried, Hiroto picked up his phone and...

...

It was a picture of Pony taking a picture beside his unconscious body, both of them in a silly pose. She must have taken it before he woke up, but Hiroto blushed at how worried he got only for it to be some goofy picture sent to him by his friend...and many more like it, having been sent one after another.

Putting the phone to sleep, Hiroto caught a glimpse of his background of Pony in her American flag Bikini and felt his embarrassment rise a bit more as he thought about what would happen if she ever saw that...but right now none of that mattered so he turned back to where Gunhead was standing to apologize for the distraction, "Sorry about that…"

Only Gunhead had moved behind him to look down at his phone like a sneaky ninja, his voice taking on a silly and cute tone as he brought a hand to his helmet.

"Was that your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend? What? No!"

"Awww, and here I thought that girl you had as your phone's background was your sweetie."

_...oh god someone saw it._

"I'd rather not talk about it...it's not like it has anything to do with martial arts, right?"

Gunhead shook his head, standing up and resuming his previous voice.

"Nah, it's directly related, even if you don't realize it."

_What do girls in bikinis have to do with kicking and punching?_

"What do you mean?"

Gunhead gestured to Hiroto's phone, now placed back in the bag, "Well you like that girl, right?"

It was hard to deny it given what the sneaky Gunhead had seen, so Hiroto decided to just not confirm it...vocally admitting his feelings was difficult as it was yet another area he had no experience in.

There were many of those.

"Maybe."

Continuing his line of thought, Gunhead sounded like he was smiling knowingly behind his mask as he pointed a finger at Hiroto, "Then you obviously want to impress her, and, since you're pretty scrawny and can't throw a punch right now, you don't think you can. I mean, you're going to school with some of the biggest and buffest kids in all of Japan, so you've got plenty of competition...especially if that background of yours wasn't edited, because if there's one thing I know it's that plenty of high school boys _will_ ask out the girls with the biggest boobs whether they actually like their personality or not. That much hasn't changed in the last decade or so."  
_  
...Gunhead really is smarter than he looks...well, anyone could tell you that last part, but still..._

"I can't promise you'll end up as big as me, but you'll certainly get a pretty strong physique if you take your martial arts training seriously. That I'm sure of."

Now Hiroto could understand what Gunhead was getting at: the martial arts would not just help his body, but help his self-image. Right now Hiroto didn't feel like he _could_ ask Pony out, since he doubted she would say yes based on his 'merits'...but if he was far more well-rounded, if he didn't think himself some scrawny weakling, then he would have the courage to ask her out and also more reason for her to say yes.

Somewhat nervously, Hiroto decided to ask if there was truth to what Gunhead was saying.

"Are you popular with girls?"

Surprisingly the man shrugged, not really seeming to care about the subject, "Kicks get chicks, sure, but I'm not much of a playboy. Been really busy with Hero work for so many years that it's all kinda an afterthought at this point, but once upon a time I did teach myself how to fight just so a girl would like me."

Now _that_ was news to Hiroto, who hadn't expected this all to have begun thanks to a boy liking a girl. His shock must have been visible in his body language, as Gunhead laughed in response to it.

"Surprised? Remember, I wasn't always this big. All I had was a fairly mundane Quirk that was passable at U.A., but not anywhere near the top tier. My classmates with Quirks that helped them in close combat could just thoroughly stomp me even if they weren't skilled at actual hand-to-hand battles. It was embarrassing to just get run over by some guy who could charge in and not care that I was shooting bullets at him because of some toughening Quirk or whatever."

That was something Hiroto could sympathize with...

Striking a pose and flexing his biceps playfully, Gunhead chuckled at his own history, "So, it took forever, but it was waaaaay worth it in the end. I even got a kiss from the girl I wanted to impress when I managed to use a grappling move to pin her down, even though she was in a higher grade than me!"

His voice dipped into that sweetly cute thing he does again when he said that, but Hiroto ignored it to follow this story through to the end. As someone who could possibly benefit from martial arts training's effects on romance, Hiroto wanted to see if in this case study it did. He already was finding himself looking up to Gunhead quickly, and found his cute and silly voice somewhat relaxing for some odd reason, so he was far more invested in this story than if it had been someone else telling it.

"What happened then?"

The tonal shift expressed by Gunhead was enough to give Hiroto whiplash as he went from his adorable mannerisms to just kind of shrugging, "She used her Quirk to turn the tables on me while I was distracted from my first kiss, resulting in her pinning me to the mat and her winning the fight…" once he finished Gunhead took to laughing at his own expense, though he did follow it up with a sort of serious lesson to beware, "Moral of the story: some women are Villains who will take advantage of you during battle using their feminine wiles to lure you into some false sense of security. That can be lethal on the job, as just because they have a nice rack doesn't mean they won't cut your throat the moment your eyes are distracted by a bit of cleavage."

Somehow Hiroto doubted Pony would Midnight him like that like whomever the girl was that did it to Gunhead.

"I don't think mine is like that."

"Probably not, but it's always good to be mindful of your surroundings and wary of the intentions of those around you as well. I ended up with a girlfriend, but if that was a real fight I'd have been dead, so it's just another lesson I had to learn. Ever since they banned Midnight's outfit and plenty others like it I think Heroes have gotten more distracted on the job since they're not used to some skin when they come against some villain who already doesn't follow the law and thus wears whatever they want...surprising amount of workplace injuries in the Hero industry come from distraction in combat, but nobody ever fills out in their report that they were too busy staring at a lady's butt to notice her Quirk activating and hitting them in the gut."

While Midnight was straightforward in how bombastic she was, Gunhead was straightforward in how down to earth he was. He just sort of told things like they were, not in a critical or cynical way but in a friendly fashion that endeared him to those around him. It was odd that he was sort of a loner in Pro Hero work given his personality, but Hiroto figured there was some kind of reason for that...all that mattered right now was that he met another adult he felt he could rely on, and there were barely any of those he knew.

After all, while he still had fondness for some of them, the League of Villains _had_ left him behind for the police to catch...even the kind butler of sorts Kurogiri. And before them? Who really was there that he could rely on?

"Important thing is that you keep your eyes open and you don't get sucker punched by anybody. That way you stay alive, first and foremost," Gunhead said, mirroring what Aizawa spoke about before. After a moment Gunhead amended his statement to apply to Hiroto's current occupation as a student, "And pass your tests at U.A., since some kids will be willing to use cheap tricks, just like I'm sure you do."

"I'm not some kind of cheater, I'm just pragmatic," Hiroto responded in perhaps a bit too defensive of a fashion.

"As you should be. Neither of us are All Might, we can't just charge into battle and expect everything to be fine, so using your head is important," Gunhead brought a hand down to the top of Hiroto's mask to pat him on the head a couple times, "You just have to make certain that it's not the _only _muscle you develop, or you'll punch a normal guy like me in the gut and end up hurting your hand like you did earlier."

"Don't remind me," Hiroto groaned, his hand still sore from the impact.

"Why not? It was hilarious and it'll be a good way to track your progress if someday you _don't_ hurt yourself while trying to punch someone else."

Not seeing a reason to really hide his feelings for Pony at this point, given what Gunhead saw, Hiroto shrugged as he added another condition...one inspired by Gunhead's own story, "I suppose the other marker is if I can get a kiss from Pony..."

"Train with me and I'll make sure you're in a 'stable' relationship in no time!"

Hiroto facepalmed even though his mask was in the way, realizing now that perhaps he should have known better than to mention her name since now he was going to be in horse-girl-joke-Hell, "No wonder you are friends with Midnight, you even make the same puns."

"Awww, she already used that one? And here I thought it was clever...well, when you fall off the horse it's best you get back in the saddle or so I hear, so may as well try to come up with some more."

Despite himself Hiroto grinned at that, since Gunhead's puns weren't scandalous like Midnight's always were...in fact he actually found them kind of funny when taken out of the context of Midnight's eyebrow wagging and winks, "I should probably take notes. I bet some would make Pony laugh, so long as they aren't ones she hears every day like 'why the long face'."

"She's A-mare-ican it seems based on the bikini, so you can probably come up with related jokes too. Girls like humor."

"...I'm taking that one."

"Good luck with it, just be sure to give credit where it's due when you mare-y her!"

Even if they were 'dad' jokes, Hiroto found himself smiling and even almost chuckling along with them. He was too sore to really continue training, so the two of them just settled into chatting and hanging out, and like when he was with Pony or his mother he felt comfortable just being himself.

In an hour he already looked up to Gunhead more than he ever did his own father, and as he grew further and further apart from his old family he was finding himself more and more comfortable without them.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to ****DNWorks, Spartan3909, reza0807, Luckyshot8, John Prodman, and Bookeater-otaku ****for your reviews last chapter, as well as ****collinscaife for your follow!**** I appreciate the support and I hope you continue to enjoy!**

**This one took some extra effort given its introduction of a new major character in Mustard's life, but here we are! Hope you all enjoyed and will lend me your thoughts in the comments below!**


	12. Knock, Knockers

**Chapter 12: ****Knock****, ****Knockers**

* * *

Sore was but one simple word to describe how Hiroto felt after facing Class 1-A, training with Midnight, and interning with Gunhead. In fact, he was so physically out of it when he got up the next morning he felt like _not _getting up...but he knew he had to if he was going to spend any time with his mother that morning since she had class to get to, and he knew sitting around in bed would accomplish nothing, so he forced himself out of the sweet comfort provided by his sleeping place and began his morning routine.

Well, as much of a routine as he was really able to form in a couple days. He got up from bed, did the stretches Midnight suggested he learn to do to help him in his later training, changed out of his pajamas (really just another set of normal clothing for him, as he did not yet possess a significant wardrobe to have specific sets of clothes for various occasions), and then be on his way to breakfast after which he would brush his teeth.

Only he paused on the way to breakfast, as in an attempt to help naturally set his sleep cycle he left the window's curtains open in his room. The light of the morning was what he hoped would make him gradually wake up in the morning instead of having to be abruptly woken by an alarm each and every day, but instead he got to see something akin to a cold shower to wake yourself up.

Pony was outside running on a morning jog with Class 1-B, just another part of the school's many rituals he was sure to ensure their ability to perform in the field...and on its own Pony running wouldn't mean much, and in fact Hiroto would probably enjoy watching her do so since he found just about everything she did 'cute'.

The issue was that she was with her class, and thus her friends, and she was laughing along with them. Monoma, Bondo, Tetsutetsu...all of them were able to just be around her whenever they pleased, and while Hiroto didn't know if they felt similarly about her as to how he felt, it made him both envious and jealous: that they had something he did not, and that he could lose what he had.

It didn't make him proud to feel that way, but seeing the simple interaction was enough to make him want to curl up in bed not from exhaustion anymore but rather from a lack of desire to go and do anything at all. Instead all he could do was watch, as he couldn't find the strength to move, and each moment that passed as Class 1-B enjoyed their morning together made him wish he had been a part of it from the beginning.

That was when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and so Hiroto turned to find his mother now beside him: she could be incredibly stealthy when she felt like it.

"It'll be okay, Hiroto."

As weirdly nice as it made him feel to be around her, Hiroto also resented the fact that he had a crush at all on Pony. It made him feel bad when he wasn't around her and saw others able to be, though soon enough that would change...but the little fears of if he would be too late to earn her affections back, if she already had someone special to her, and other such things were all too willing to bounce around inside his young mind, and to disastrous effect.

He just wanted to be with her, just as he did Midnight...they were just about all he had now, and while he was growing fond of his mentor Gunhead he would have to see if it would remain so with repeated exposure.

Some of the doubts and worries clouding him were whisked away when Midnight leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, reminding her son that no matter what she still loved him and would be here for him, "I'll make sure to ask Pony to stop by when I see her today, but for now we should have breakfast. I don't have too long before I have to be in class."

Wordlessly he accepted her suggestion, following her to the kitchen where they got around to eating the healthy buffet presented by Midnight. She was not a so-called 'health nut', but did watch what she ate to maintain her figure and retain her public status as the Hero World's 18+ heroine. Hiroto didn't particularly care one way or another, long since used to just eating whatever was put in front of him even if his personal tastes were 'picky'.

Once they had settled in Midnight gave her son a bright smile, having been in a great mood herself ever since Hiroto's victory the day before that only increased as time went on, "You were so tired last night I didn't really get to ask what you thought of your internship. Did it go well?"

She _really_ seemed interested in hearing, but Hiroto didn't really know what to say...he knew she was friends with Gunhead so she likely hoped her son would get along with her friend, but what was he going to tell her? That Gunhead talked to him about impressing girls? That he was so weak he hurt himself punching Gunhead? The former would bring up conversations Hiroto would really rather not have with his mother right now, and the latter would make her laugh no doubt and he didn't want to be embarrassed given his mood right now.

So instead he stuck with a simple response that also avoided the question.

"Yeah, you could say that," Hiroto shrugged.

Realizing his attempt to side-step her inquiry, it made Midnight all the more curious since Hiroto had seemed both happy _and_ exhausted last night when she picked him up, "But would you?"

"Gunhead's one of the few adults I don't consider useless at least. Don't know him that well yet, so I can't really judge him more than that," came Hiroto's awkward response as he tried to focus on his breakfast and _not _the girl advice he may never get to use, "He reminds me of you."

_That_ seems to have left its mark, and Midnight seemed quite excited about what Hiroto said as evidenced by her wide grin.

"Really?"

"It's not a compliment."

"I think it is."

_You can be real stubborn, Mom...guess I get it from somewhere._

"Don't you have to get to class?"

Glancing at the time, Midnight's smirk faded as she realized Hiroto was right. They didn't have much time together this morning since she had to do some of her preparations for the day early if they were going to train together later, but it did provide Hiroto an out to the conversation since he really didn't possess the energy or mood to converse right now. He appreciated his mother, he just didn't have the energy to _deal_ with her right now.

"Unfortunately," Nemuri got up, but didn't refrain from tussling with Hiroto's messy hair as she made her way towards her room to grab her things, "Be good today, okay? I've asked Aizawa to look after you today since he has time after homeroom, so go drop by his room when you're done with breakfast. Security will be keeping an eye on your location so don't be too late."

Mustard was sure he could get the ankle bracelet he had been provided off via that crazy pink haired girl if he wanted, but he really didn't have a reason to risk going back to jail right now so he would just have to endure its annoying presence. At least it was lightweight, or else it would be like carrying a ball and chain around with him.

Still, to have to be watched whenever possible irritated him since it felt like he was five and not fourteen.

"I don't need a babysitter."

He made sure to focus on his breakfast and not his mother who was pulling on her Hero Costume in her room, Midnight's hurried behavior having resulted in her not shutting the door according to his ears. To sort of cheer himself up Hiroto decided to just wonder what Pony would look like in the outfit instead of how his mom did, and so he spared himself the trauma of how Midnight's students would be leering at her today.

"I wish I could leave you here all alone, but Rock Lock doesn't want you by yourself too often. I don't think he understands that sometimes people need their space, former criminals or not..." the inflection in her voice ripped Hiroto from his daydream and back to reality, reality being where his mother was the lewdest woman to ever exist to his knowledge, "Don't worry though, Aizawa isn't much of a people person. If you don't want to talk to him I'm sure he'll leave you alone."

It could be worse Hiroto supposed, he could be tagging along with someone more annoying like Present Mic, so Aizawa _could_ be bearable to be around.

Could. It remained yet to be seen.

"I love you," Midnight warmly chimed as she left her room and briskly walked to the door leading to the hallway outside.

Before she could shut the door on her way out Hiroto did look up from his food to at least speak back, his voice soft but sincere.

"And I love you..."

He just hated the ever-lingering question that haunted his mind about whether a certain girl would say the same thing about him. Why did love have to be so crippling anyways?

As Nemuri shut the door behind her she let out a small sigh, understanding the aches one's heart could feel all too well...but also knowing from experience that love could be worth it in the end.

* * *

_A tired Hiroto had wandered off to Nemuri's car when she came to pick him up, the boy intent on slumping down in the back and nearly passing out as soon as possible given his training._

_"Hey Nemuri."_

_"How did it go?"_

_"Hiroto did fine for his first day. He's a good learner, and he really wants to improve so he's a great student to have," Gunhead noted in his friendly manner, "Never expected him to end up looking so much like my brother, but I guess it runs in the family. I was the odd one out after all."_

_Nemuri froze for a moment when she realized that despite Hiroto's mask Gunhead must have put two and two together about this new student she suddenly asked him to take...Hiroto had removed his mask on the way out and his hair was quite telling._

_"Did you…"_

_Gunhead chuckled and shook his head, "I didn't tell him. Wasn't sure if you did or wanted to, so he doesn't know."_

_That was a relief to Nemuri, who was still trying to figure out how to handle everything now that Hiroto was a part of her life again. As much as it would be nice for him to know his father, the death of Hiroto's foster father and the abuse leading up to it were enough to make Nemuri hesitant...she didn't want Gunhead bearing the brunt of whatever baggage was left over, but found a way to still have them interact without necessarily bringing the father-son dynamic into it._

_"I wanted to give him the chance to meet you without him knowing at least at the start…" she explained, "His adoptive father abused him, so..."_

_Fortunately for her Gunhead was completely understanding, and he just nodded to her and placed a hand down on her shoulder comfortingly like she would do to Hiroto._

_"I think he's starting to look up to me, so if your plan was to make him wish he could have a dad as cool as me, then prepare a 'no Luke, I am your father', I think you've succeeded."_

_Nemuri used the opportunity to lean into Gunhead and hug him, seeking forgiveness still for not just telling Gunhead immediately, "I'm sorry for not telling you upfront…if I'm honest I wasn't certain how to bring it up..."_

_"Nemuri, I understand. It explains why you've been so quiet recently and too busy to go out, but I don't blame you…" Gunhead brought his arms around her to hug her back, the two of them alone in the dojo due to Hiroto's tired wandering away, "I wasn't even out of school and with how things were didn't have time to get a job, and you had long hours as a new Pro Hero. We couldn't take care of him, and, as much as you want to blame yourself for that, it's not your fault."_

_Normally happy and beaming with energy, years of anxiety and the stresses of the past few weeks bubbled up in Nemuri and brought her to tears right upon Gunhead's exposed chest. Gunhead, being a kind guy in general, hated to see his significant other like that and so began to stroke her hair gently._

_"Hey now, you don't need to cry…" he said consolingly, "We still have time, so let's just take things easy for now, okay?"_

_"I love you…"_

_"So does that mean you're going to marry me now?"_

_While still soft, his voice did grow a certain humorous tinge that actually made Midnight grin a little in spite of her mood. Despite the moment of levity Gunhead did grow serious for once as he explained his random comment._

_"Friends with benefits has been fun for over a decade now, but I remember promising you I'd propose when I graduated…instead we had to give up Hiroto, and it took us awhile to even really start talking again."_

_It was hard to be energetic and fun when you had the matter of essentially losing your child hanging over you, at least with one another. Eventually they were able to bring their dynamic more in line with how it once was, but there was always a Hiroto sized hole in it...now that he was back they could maybe finish fixing their bond._

_However, more important to Nemuri than her own life was bringing her son's back in order and making sure he could become the man she knew he could be._

_"Right now all I want is for Hiroto to settle in and begin patching up the holes those monsters left in him...what I need or want for myself comes second until then…"_

_Rather than be upset Gunhead seemed to be in complete agreement, "Of course, and I want to do the same for him. Anything you think is right to do, I'll follow your lead, but I wanted to let you know I still do have a wedding ring waiting for you."_

_It was always easy for her to remember why she loved him Midnight felt, and so she smiled up at her handsome fiance, "Once our son is ready to have a father again I won't spare a moment before I put that ring on. Maybe we can give him the family he always deserved…you, me, Hiroto..."_

_"Hiroto's inevitable siblings," Gunhead stated as a matter of fact rather than a joke, though it could still come across as that. Even if you lowered something to a one percent change if you did it hundreds of times you'd get a positive result on one of them._

_Shifting from her sweet and quiet voice to one more 'suggestive', Midnight grinned the way she usually did as she went on._

_"I do still want a daughter I can teach how to properly dominate a man."_

_Gunhead chuckled at Midnight's audacity, always having appreciated how blunt she could be, "You still want Hiroto to have a harem too?"_

_"Of course, but if his current crush works out I may settle for him having one wife…" Midnight replied, seeing it as a compromise she was willing to make if it meant her son was happy. Of course she expected just as many grandchildren to spoil and teach her Midnightiness too someday._

_"She the cute chimera-girl on his phone?"_

_"That's the one."_

_"That bikini looked like your handiwork. You have anything to do with that?"_

_Nemuri looked fake-aghast at his implication, taking joking offense that he would dare suggest such a thing, "I am shocked you would think I would ever give a legal aged sixteen year old student of mine a bikini to properly show off her 'assets'."_

_"It's from the same store you get yours, speaking from years of experience handling said garments. Try not to get them into the same trouble we were in, okay?"_

_"No promises," Nemuri chuckled as she finally found the tears drying on her face and a warmth building in her chest instead, "I'm going to go make dinner for Hiroto and I. He knows you are an old friend of mine, so want to join us?"_

_"I would, but unfortunately I have a case I'm helping with later. Maybe we can do a not-family but actually-family gathering soon though, as the more time I can spend with our son the better."_

_"I'd like that."_

_"Love you Nem."_

_"And I love you, my silly fiance."_

* * *

"So, no class? And here I thought you were going to be rough on them..."

Fortunately Aizawa had left his door open for Hiroto to get in, but the boy was admittedly surprised by the fact Aizawa was available at all. He wasn't used to the schedule of things at U.A. yet, so he wasn't certain how much time homeroom teachers spent with their classes...that would mean actually having gone over the materials Midnight provided for him, which he hadn't bothered to just yet in their totality.

Aizawa greeted Hiroto at the door, the Pro Hero turned teacher looking irritated not just by the fact he was reduced to a babysitter right now but also by the fact the person he was looking after just rubbed yesterday's events into his still open wounds. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Aizawa was furious by his class losing to _five_ students, and he was going to make certain they knew that.

"Oh I am. I doubled their workload and will make them remember their failure to defeat a far smaller group of their peers, but unfortunately I don't have the full day with them today. They have class with All Might and the others, so I am going to have to wait until tomorrow before I really kick things into gear."

With that said Aizawa led Hiroto further into his home, not caring to explain or show off anything at all as he did so, thus leaving Hiroto to figure it all out on his own...and what he figured was what he had expected of Aizawa: controlled chaos. The Pro Hero was barely able to keep himself presentable half the time and obviously didn't care for appearances, so his house was not in particularly tidy condition, though there did seem to be some kind of order to the chaos at least.

"Make yourself comfortable. I have paperwork to deal with and don't want you bothering me," Aizawa dryly noted as he sat down at a table where a great deal of forms and official documents were spread out.

Mustard snorted at the suggestion, for even though he felt like almost anything he did would annoy Aizawa he didn't _want_ to annoy him, "Bothering someone who could send me to jail seems counter-intuitive."

"You're right, it wouldn't be logical, but then again you are the sort of Villain who liked to hear his own voice more than he cared to win, so I can't expect you to always do the smart thing."

That stung a bit, but it was at least constructive as it tore into Hiroto's behavior. Hiroto knew he was smart, he also would have to come to terms with the fact his own attitude kept him from showing that intelligence all the time.

Doing as he was told, Hiroto found a seat on the couch of the living room provided by Aizawa, and as he did he felt a tinge of a sneeze brush up on his nose. Something was making his allergies kick in, but he wasn't quite sure what it was yet.

As he took his seat, Hiroto realized he hadn't thought to bring anything to do while he was here due to how distracted he was this morning, and Aizawa was not likely to provide him with activities...he likely wouldn't bother when he was in a good mood, and he was in a particularly _bad_ one right now so chances of being given something to do for the next few hours were close to zero.

So Hiroto did what he liked doing, at least according to Aizawa: he listened to his own voice, "Let me guess, you're my 'babysitter' because you're one of the few people here who can actually stop me."

"Correct. Present Mic offered, but he had classes today and couldn't even though he could knock you out with his voice whether he could see you or not," having entertained Hiroto as much as he was willing to, Aizawa shifted his focus to the papers before him, "Now quiet down and read a book or something. I'm busy."

Hiroto did as told, trying to find a book in the room that would capture his interest...but none of them were to his taste. He read history books for fun, among other kinds such as science fiction, but Aizawa didn't have any out in the living room that fit that bill. The only things available there were _textbooks_, and Hiroto didn't particularly care to comb through one of those right now.

He tried for a bit, but if he was honest he was going to have to read it all later anyways so he just didn't feel it within himself to care about what he was looking at. This lack of caring eventually led to boredom, and so a half hour or so after he arrived Hiroto found himself doing something unwise: bothering Aizawa. He had been able to stay occupied only this long because Aizawa had a cat wander out into the living room that Mustard had been able to pet, but it showed as much interest in him as Aizawa had and left shortly thereafter.

"What are you doing?"

Aizawa didn't look over to Hiroto just yet as he continued working through the papers before him, "Working on finding a way to have 1-A's new student Shinsou organically catch up to everyone else with lesson plans that will not exclude him while also not catering to him at the expense of the others," Aizawa had done as asked, explain himself, though he soon thereafter cast aside a glance that revealed how little he cared to have done so, "What's wrong? No-one paying attention to you so you have to interrupt my work?"

"Your house is boring, and I doubt you want me to turn on the television."

There _was_ one, but Hiroto had to wonder how much it got used given Aizawa's personality. He seemed humorless for the most part, and he could really use some lightening up even by Hiroto's high-strung standards.

"Your doubts are my certainty."

Mustard's eye twitched not from irritation at the flippant response, but rather from how he was suffering from severe allergies right now. Was it the cat? It wasn't anything particularly threatening, but Hiroto really wasn't used to having his allergies act up this much and so it caught him off-guard.

"Well I'm still bored, and you being an old cat lady doesn't help. I think I'm allergic."

In his boredom Hiroto looked around the room some more, finding soon a gas mask nearby Aizawa in case of a sudden attack...smart he supposed, but it wasn't like he intended to gas Aizawa. That would be incredibly stupid and likely get him expelled and sent back to jail after all, so he was just going to suffer through this boredom as long as he could...perhaps with a couple comments here or there, but suffer through it all the same.

"Well too bad. I trust my aloof companions more than I do you."

So more time passed as Hiroto sat in boredom, trying to not think of Pony hanging out with Monoma or anyone else at all...and then his allergies made him almost sneeze, but he managed to hold it in. He could feel a big sneeze on the way and he was _not_ looking forward to it...he wasn't that used to sneezing at all since he wasn't really allergic to much, but apparently cats set off his allergies something crazy comparatively. His eyes were itchy, he felt constantly on the verge of sneezing, and he found himself wishing Aizawa had dogs instead if only so he could not be in a low state of constant agony.

To get his mind off this state of being Hiroto spoke up again, his voice's inflection revealing the fact he was about to sneeze even though he was trying to hide it.

"I never got to test my Quirk on you at the training camp. You got to play with the edgy burn victim instead, so who'd you think would win? Me or you?"

Still barely paying attention to Hiroto, Aizawa just did his paperwork and revealed himself to actually trust Hiroto more than he would say since he wasn't even directly looking at him. If he was looking at him he could turn off Hiroto's Quirk on a whim, but instead he had his back mostly to him since Aizawa as much as he disliked Hiroto had seen him with Midnight. The two were close and the child was not going to stupidly ruin his only chance to be with his mother, and while cruel mercy was a favorite tool of his Aizawa had little desire to tear this bit of happiness from his longtime friend Nemuri.

He remembered how she was around the time she gave up Hiroto, and he had kind of figured why she was getting him to help her track down someone now...he took no joy in her tears, and so if it made someone he trusted happy to have Hiroto around he was privately glad his personal vote to not have the boy attend U.A. lost.

Not that he would ever admit this aloud of course.

Perhaps because of this he was willing to divert his attention from his work for a _bit_, shutting his eyes as he thought through Hiroto's bored inquiry.

"I won't lie, your Quirk is powerful, so if you surprised me somehow before I could find a way to negate your Quirk I would be at the disadvantage...but at this point I'm fairly certain almost anyone could beat you in close ranged combat, and I've dealt with actually dangerous foes. It's a situational question to which there are many answers, but if you're asking who would win more times than not? I think you're overestimating yourself."

His eyes jolted open when from behind him he heard Hiroto sneeze quite violently, it not being a normal sneeze, nor one of those rapid-fire ones with little impact like a machine gun, but rather explosive like a double barrel shotgun. Hiroto hadn't been able to hold it in any longer, and the force was so hard that it actually _hurt_ to sneeze...but he felt better after he did so.

"I hate cats..."

Opening his eyes, Hiroto paused before he took in a breath to replace the one he just violently expelled. By sneezing so hard he had accidentally used some of his Quirk, losing control of it for just a moment and having it fly out into the air just like the germs his body was removing.

And now Aizawa was slumped facedown on his desk, having not expected to be suddenly and accidentally gassed by Hiroto. His trust wasn't exactly betrayed, but he was no doubt going to be upset when he woke up.

Since it was only a small burst of poison the air had already cleared by the time Hiroto had to breathe again, a window thankfully having been cracked open already to let things clear out. Once he was sure he was safe, he crossed the small space of the room between him and Aizawa just to be _sure_ his caretaker was unconscious, as the small cloud of poison he just unleashed may not have been at the usual strength.

"Mister Aizawa?"

Shaking the man's shoulder, it was all too obvious the Pro Hero had accidentally inhaled the poison he had no reason to expect in that moment. One of the strengths of Hiroto's Quirk was how fast it spread, but in this instance it meant Aizawa taking a normal breath like people tended to do doomed him to the fast-spreading poison.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me. This _isn't_ what I was thinking. Wake up you hobo-looking-ninja moron!"

Yelling and shaking Aizawa had no effect, and if someone came to check on them, if someone had to ask Aizawa for something, if _anyone_ found out about this before Hiroto solved it then how likely was it that people would believe him it was a complete accident? Sure he had no motive, but at _best_ it would increase the security placed on him, at _worst_ it would land him back in jail until they figured out what to do with him.

The amount Aizawa inhaled ought not to be lethal, but was there a 0% chance of it being lethal? Hiroto had no way of knowing because he had not been able to test it on as many subjects as would be required for him to know now. So Aizawa was not likely dying, but that wasn't a risk Hiroto wanted to take.

He also couldn't leave, lest he set off security alarms, draw campus security to himself, be considered as fleeing the scene of the crime, and incriminate himself even more. So he had to fix this while being _here_...and that certainly left his options low.

With the house in such a state of chaos Hiroto had no idea where a first aid kit would be, or even really how to use it. He grabbed the gas mask and placed it on Aizawa to maybe help him, Hiroto didn't know, but he now knew he was going to pay attention whenever he had some kind of Health class. He might have to learn how to cure his own Quirk for instances like this, because _damnit_ he did not mean to do this and yet now was dealing with the fallout.

_Goddamn cats and their goddamn old cat lady ninja Pro Hero..._

Maybe if he called someone and reported what happened he could escape whatever fallout there would be? That way he was owning up to it and being responsible.

That was when Hiroto realized he didn't think to bring his phone. He hadn't really planned this day out he was realizing more and more, and he wasn't used to having a phone anyways, so right now he was stuck.

...

...

Did Aizawa have a phone?

Hiroto looked over the table Aizawa was working on to see if by chance he had it out, but there was no luck to be found there. Instead Hiroto was left to try and find it elsewhere in Aizawa's dwelling, and so had to think where else it could be.

Remembering that he left his own at his charger since he wasn't used to remembering to bring it with him, Hiroto took an off-chance guess that maybe the antisocial Aizawa had left his own phone on a charger as well. Searching for outlets, it was only a matter of minutes until he tracked down the phone charger and the phone attached to it.

Thinking that maybe he found his way out of this mess, Hiroto cheered to himself and let out a triumphant scoff, as if it was all too simple.

Then he realized he didn't have the password to open it.

In frustration he opened up the phone and tried typing in random strings of numbers to no avail, groaning in frustration as he realized he wasn't going to have any luck this way...but there _was_ an emergency call option he could look into it seemed. Okay, so he would call whomever was on his emergency contact list, likely another teacher, right?

Opening that feature up led Hiroto to a list of people ranging from the Principal to Midnight to what amounted to every teacher at U.A., so Hiroto tried to call the first on the list and just had to hope they picked up.

An entire school of teachers later Hiroto was left with the realization that their phones were off because they were in class, meaning he'd have to keep trying again and again until they picked up...preferably Midnight, who would be most likely to pick up if the person looking after her son was calling. Calling Principal Nezu had also been hopeless as he was apparently not at his desk, likely out observing some class and the number was to his office, so Hiroto had to resist the urge to throw someone else's phone against the wall for the bad luck spree he was on.

Only one contact remained, and it wasn't one he knew to be a U.A. teacher...in fact he was pretty sure it wasn't a U.A. teacher from what he knew of them.

_Better than nothing..._

He would try his mother until he got her afterwards, but if he could get someone sooner then that was what he wanted to do. He sort of respected Aizawa in a begrudging sense, having heard of his reputation and faced off against his pupils, so he'd really rather not kill this guy...this wasn't some loser on the streets trying to kill him, it wasn't a bastard like Muscular, it was someone who would be helping his education so he owed it to the man to try and help him.

That and Hiroto really didn't want to go back to jail.

"Let's give this one a shot..."

_Ring..._

_Ring..._

_Ring..._

_Ring..._

_Ring..._

_Ring..._

Right when Hiroto was sure he was about to get the voicemail he suddenly heard a voice, a sigh of relief escaping his lips when he came to believe he was saved.

"This is Ms. Joke, who is this?"

Hurriedly, Hiroto began to explain himself, hoping whoever this was wouldn't hang up after hearing someone else call on this phone, "I'm calling about Aizawa. My name is Hiroto, and—"

The sound of gunfire cut him off however, shocking Hiroto by the sudden noise in his ear as it sounded like someone was being gunned down.

"Hold on a moment—" came the voice of this 'Ms. Joke', only for more gunfire to follow...and then a moment of silence followed by her voice again, "Sorry what were you saying?"

Now more worried about whatever was going on with who he was calling than himself, Hiroto was sort of aghast at whatever he just interrupted, "W-was that gunfire?"

A moment later he would be haranguing himself for that concern.

_"Hah! Elaborate prank voicemail recording! Leave your name and number after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"_

Without hesitation Hiroto hung up, trying his best once again to not hurl the phone of his caretaker at the wall. He _finally_ found a number to call, and it was someone who took things like such a joke that her voicemail was a joke in and of itself.

Stuck in Aizawa's apartment, not knowing what to do, Hiroto just sat and prayed to All Might that someone would come by and help him out of this mess..._anyone_.

And anyone is exactly who he got, for better or worse.

* * *

_"Knock-knock!"_

...

...

...

"Oh come on Aizawa, tell me that even you know what comes next!" the chipper voice of Ms. Joke called out to Aizawa's apartment, "Knock-knock!"

...

...

...

Joke lifted an eyebrow in confusion, knowing that Aizawa was there but also confused about why he wouldn't answer the door if he was. Maybe he was busy? Or was he doing one of his things where he ignored her jokes?

_Hmmm...even Aizawa knows how to answer a knock-knock joke, right?_

"Fine, I'll say it just this once so you learn...the next part is 'who's there?', alright?" regaining her chipper attitude, Joke found herself laughing as she imagined Aizawa struggling to maintain his composure on the other side of the door, so she may as well have some fun at his expense, "I know you're there, security told me, so come on and give me _something_ to work with! How am I supposed to get to my punchline about my bountiful set of 'knock'ers if you won't even respond? Getting a private call in the middle of my day off, you made me wonder if I was gonna be leaving here 'knock'ed up or not! It's not polite to get a girls hopes up Eraser! I'd take you 'knock'ing my jokes any day over you just ignoring me after you called me! Come on, just answer and I swear I'll 'knock' off the jokes...for a bit at least!"

To her pleasure and surprise the door _did_ open in response to this...but it wasn't Aizawa to enter the doorframe, but rather a short teenager who seemed a mixture of confused, embarrassed, and scared.

"Uhhh..." the shaggy haired child said, explaining himself in some great depth of course as he tried to not meet Ms. Joke's gaze.

Leaning down a bit thanks to being slightly taller than him, Ms. Joke began to inspect the boy inquisitively, "You're not Aizawa," she said the obvious as if it was a joke given her tone, and then followed it up with an actually serious tone, "I recognize you though...Nemuri's kid, right?"

Hiroto, not having expected a sudden knock at the door followed by an oddly chipper girl to start spewing a mountain of puns, was pulling together in his mind how to properly respond, "Yeah, I, uhh..."

His mind was a bit jumbled by the fact that due to her height the first thing he saw of her through the door's eye hole was Ms. Joke's chest, enough to throw off many a teenage boy when that curveball was thrown at them without warning.

He was less prepared for the resulting glomp he received from Ms. Joke upon confirming who he was, and found himself freezing up more in embarrassment as she used her surprising strength to pick him up off the ground with a back-breaking hug.

"It's so nice to meet you! I'm Emi Fukukado, also known as Ms. Joke! Your mom and I go _way_ back, so you can just call me Aunt Joke alright?"

She moved him around in the air like he was a huggable stuffed animal she was snuggling with, and so the first opportunity he received Hiroto freed himself from her grasp and pointed towards the apartment to try and explain himself...and to not sneeze again as he had been holding one in since his last explosive one.

"Sure. I just..."

Being Joke, Emi continued onward with her excitable behavior and barely let him get a word in, "Let me guess, Aizawa's your babysitter today right? Maybe he needed a helping hand with the daunting task, I bet that's why he called! I just know he could be a great dad if he tried, but he has no practice, so mama Emi's here to help him learn!" her mind made up about the situation, she leaned past Hiroto to begin peeking into the apartment, "So, where is my future husband?"

"I knocked him out by accident with some powerful poison gas when I sneezed. Now he's not waking up."

When he had the opportunity Hiroto conjured up the words he had meant to say all this time, and it felt good to let that off his chest...

...

...only for Ms. Joke to laugh and slap him on the back like she had just heard some bad joke.

"Man, Nemuri didn't tell me you were a joker like me! Aizawa letting his guard down and being knocked out by a kid! Hahahaha!" nudging Hiroto, Ms. Joke whispered to him playfully, "What's the punchline? Or was that it?"

His lack of response and blank face made it dawn upon Joke that Hiroto was dead serious, especially when he pointed inside again at where Aizawa lay on his table.

"...oh god you're not kidding," rushing past Hiroto as fast as she could, Joke cried out to the unconscious teacher, "Aizawa!"

While she frantically checked on Aizawa's condition Hiroto explained himself a bit more, wanting to make sure Ms. Joke didn't attack him...best to cover his bases.

"I couldn't really leave since I have to stay here, my phone is back in my room, and his computer went to sleep and I don't know the password...so I kinda only had his phone to use, and figured most his contacts have their phones off in class, so I called the only other one I could find. I don't think the poison would be lethal, but it's been at least like an hour now...depending on how bad the dose he got was he could be in trouble about now."

Now she was doing what he had done earlier, shaking and yelling at the unconscious man in hopes of him waking up.

Their way of yelling at him was a tad bit different though.

**"Wakie-wakie Aizawa! Come on, this really isn't funny! Ms. Joke dying a virgin would be a**_** terrible**_** comedy skit, so wake up! Don't die on me now!"**

Calming down when she came to realize no amount of shaking or yelling would wake the man up, Joke began to think aloud to herself about how to solve things.

"Okay, I doubt CPR would work, but kissing Aizawa is a sacrifice I'm willing to make..." thinking a bit more, she didn't go through with her underhanded way to sneak a kiss onto Aizawa and instead started taking in her surroundings a bit, "Hey, Hiroto, your Quirk is like your mom's right?"

Uncertain where she was going with this, Hiroto nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, why?"

Without explaining herself Joke began rummaging through some of Aizawa's chaotic living room until she eventually pulled out from seemingly nowhere an unmarked box that she hoisted into the air as if she won a trophy.

"Bingo!"

By prying it open she soon revealed to Hiroto why she had searched for it, and he had to admit he was sort of impressed by the contents: it was a box of a multitude of different antidotes to be taken in case they were needed. One was clearly labeled for Midnight's Quirk and so Joke pried the gas mask off of Aizawa and forced him to drink the concoction, calming both herself and Hiroto down with a single moment of genius.

"Aizawa always preps for stuff like this!" Joke finally explained, grinning at Hiroto as she gave him a thumbs up, "Since he can't see Nemuri to cancel her Quirk he has an antidote saved just in case he ever has to face her or some similar Quirk. My hobo ninja Batman is always prepared!"

That made sense, Hiroto thought, but how did Ms. Joke _find _it so fast? He had searched the room and not noticed anything that seemed medical in nature, and yet here she knew an unassuming box was a box of cures for similar things. Has she been here before? She _was_ on Aizawa's emergency contacts...

"How did you know where it was?"

Joke burst out laughing as she realized how weird what she just did was, as for all Hiroto knew she was some creepy stalker, "Oh Nemuri sometimes sends me pictures of Aizawa's various living spaces. That way I can see how much of a lady's touch he needs in them, and also can plan for how I'll redecorate when we get married. Your mom's a great wing-man!"

...of course the answer was his mother. What else would it be?

Feeling embarrassed on his mother's behalf not for the first nor the last time in his lifetime, Hiroto's head sunk down in shame, "Why am I not surprised?"

Now able to relax a bit, Joke clapped Hiroto on the shoulder and grinned at him with the happiest look he probably ever saw on someone. She _really_ was cheerful, and it was infectious...and since he wasn't bursting out laughing that meant it was her, not her Quirk that allowed her to force others to laugh uncontrollably.

"You remind me of a little Aizawa! Oh, Nemuri's so lucky to have a sweet boy like you! I just wish _I_ had a secret love child, but Aizawa is all like 'No, we can't just adopt my new student' and 'We are not even dating'...is it asking too much to have a family with never-ending laughter?"

While he could perhaps appreciate someone like her being around, Hiroto would be the first to admit he'd likely return to jail than deal with never ending laughter and jokes.

"That sounds like an actual nightmare."

His deadpan response only seemed to make her laugh further, with Joke doubling down as she struggled to breathe through it all, "Wow you really _do _sound like Aizawa! That's _totally _something he'd say!"

"Aren't you worried about him still?"

Calming down again, Joke shrugged, "Nah, Aizawa always thinks these things through, and worse comes to worse I can just bring him to Recovery Girl soon. I doubt he'd have even offered to look after you if he wasn't sure he could get medical attention in general...though I think he underestimated you. How'd you get the drop on him anyways?"

About that...

"I'm allergic to his cats, apparently pretty bad allergies in fact, and so I sneezed really hard and accidentally used my Quirk on him..." Hiroto admitted sheepishly as he took a seat on Aizawa's couch again, starting to believe in Joke's faith towards Aizawa, "I was worried if I called certain authorities they wouldn't believe it was an accident, so I was just left with his emergency contacts..."

Of course Joke couldn't help but laugh at this as well, being all too amused by the circumstances that led Aizawa to faceplanting, "That's hilarious! I bet he's gonna be so mad he got beaten like a chump!"

Some stirring from nearby them and a grumbling voice drew attention from Joke's own antics and towards the other member of the room who was just now rousing from his forced sleep.

Hearing Joke's laughter and finding himself being held by a blurred mixture of green and orange, Aizawa couldn't help but groan as he regained consciousness, "Am I in Hell?"

"Nope! You're in your apartment, silly! Though why you chose to take a nap on the floor is anyone's guess..." Joke replied cheerfully, laughing all the way until she lowered her voice and wiggled her eyebrows at the man she was helping stand up, "Hey, speaking of being 'in' something, how about I stay over tonight and make sure you're all better! We can play 'Nurse', so dibs on the outfit!"

The retort was simple and to the point, "Why are you in my apartment?"

"Hiroto here called me to help you out. Luckily for you I wasn't too far away and could stop right by! You see..."

Joke explained with Hiroto's help what had happened, and while Aizawa was thoroughly embarrassed he had to admit he appreciated that he hadn't been entirely wrong about Nemuri's kid...even if he _did_ get hit by his Quirk in the end.

Not just that, but Joke came to help him out, just like she used to when they worked nearby one another. It was an odd moment of déjà vu, but one he didn't mind all that much.

"...thanks Joke, I appreciate it, but can you leave now?"

He just knew she wouldn't let any of this go, not the her helping him part nor the him being accidentally knocked out part, so as much as he was thankful he _knew_ he was in for a world of jokes and embarrassment should she remain.

Her response was as any reasonable person would have expected it to be, both showing her affection and her concern for him at the same time.

"Nope! I'm going to stay until I'm sure you're all better! You had me worried there, calling me out of the blue! Did you want to confess your undying love and propose? Were you laying in some puddle in the back alley of the city calling to let me know you always loved me? Did you want a booty call? I had no idea since Hiroto didn't leave a message, but I figured it was important and so here I am!"

Hiroto did not regret not leaving a message after that prank voicemail, but he wasn't going to explain himself right now. He was just waiting for his mom to turn her phone back on, see the thousand missed calls, and come pick him up...he felt awkward around Aizawa right now given what happened and would rather give him time to recover before anything else occurred. After all, the cats _were_ still making him itchy...

As Joke hugged Aizawa out of concern he surprisingly didn't fight it, but he didn't return it either...instead looking past her to glower at Hiroto.

"If you ever tell anyone about any of this I will make your life a living Hell...just like mine is right now."

Hiroto nodded, but he had to admit he wished Pony would treat him the way Joke did Aizawa...right now they were friends, sure, but Hiroto could sense that Joke wasn't just kidding when she made jokes about being with Aizawa. She meant it and cared for him in her own weird way, and while he was irritable as ever it was obvious he did appreciate the care paid to him.

"Seriously though Aizawa, you shouldn't worry me like that. If Hiroto hadn't called I don't know what would have happened to you," turning from her captive to Hiroto, Joke smiled at him before bowing her head in thanks, "Speaking of which, thank you Hiroto. I appreciate you trying to help Eraser out even in spite of your circumstances."

Praise was not something Mustard particularly had experience with, and so he could only look away as he quietly accepted it.

"Sure, whatever."

This reaction only fed into Joke's Jokiness, with her leaning into Aizawa teasingly right after, "Awww, isn't he so cute when he's embarrassed? Doesn't it just make you want one yourself?"

"No."

Despite his blunt rebuttal Joke remained anchored to Aizawa's side as she led him over to his bedroom so he could lay down and finish recovering. On the way however something caught her eye from what he was working on, and so continued her teasing.

"Hey Eraser, are these the adoption papers for our baby Shin-shin? I told you he should be in the Hero Course with that Quirk of his and now he is! They grow up so fast..."

"I am going to _kill _Midnight for putting that number in my phone, and on my emergency contacts no less."

"And I'm gonna buy her dinner! Wanna come? We can make it a double-date!"

"I would actually rather starve."

From the living room Hiroto had recovered enough of his composure at meeting a twin of his mother in terms of embarrassing behavior to speak again, and when he did so it was to snarkily commentate on their back-and-forth.

"You two should just get married and get it over with," came Mustard's mocking response, "Both your Quirks disable others, one by disabling Quirks and the other by keeping them from acting, so your kids will probably be strong too. Just please give me permission to go home so I don't have to be here when you make them."

A moment of silence followed, and then...

"I _like_ this kid! Let's have one of our own! Or twenty!"

"For the last time, no!"

"How about a joke then?"

"Also no."

_"Knock, Knock!"_

"I swear Joke if you make a pun..."

_"Knock, Knock!"_

"Ugh, fine...who's there?"

"Did you think I was doing a Knock Knock joke? I was just telling you the names I have for my knockers, Knock and Knock! You're so silly Eraser!"

The day had almost ended up in crisis, but now Hiroto found himself oddly fine with how it turned out...in fact he was no longer a nervous wreck and was coming to enjoy the overpowering positivity around him even as Aizawa tried to fend it off with apathy and stoicism.

Maybe Joke had a point about making a family with never-ending laughter...perhaps tone down the never-ending part and it would be just fine.

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**A/N: The site I use to write stories got updated and I'm working on getting used to its new formatting, so sorry for the long wait but I think I've got everything down now. Season 4 of MHA is out now as well, so time to celebrate with some MHA of my own!**

**Special thanks to ****Luckyshot8, reza0807, Spartan3909, D. , and John Prodman for your reviews last time, and special thanks to AkimiiTheWriter, Stryker28999, JKrlin, ThatBrutalReviewer, lilmarten, and BlackendReaper for your favorites/follows since last time! I appreciate the support, and I hope you all continue to enjoy!****  
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**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the comments below!**


	13. Class 1-B

**Chapter 13: ****Class 1-B**

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"Everyone, as you can see we have a new member of our class today. Whatever your personal feelings on the issue may be he has earned his way into U.A., and he will be your classmate moving forward so I expect you to act appropriately towards him. You aren't those 1-A muscleheads, so prove that you can actually follow school rules unlike those delinquents who are suspended."

The voice of 1-B's homeroom teacher Vlad King was doused with a grim severity which revealed his own feelings on this development, but Hiroto was able to look past that because he honestly didn't care about how the man thought of him right now. So long as his teacher's opinions did not impact his grades they were ultimately irrelevant to him: in fact Hiroto welcomed the challenge presented by this. After all, earning Vlad's respect via hard work and potential would be a sign to others in the class that he was worthy of such esteem. U.A. students seemed to really look up to their teachers after all, so winning him over would likely have a domino effect.

Still, the usual smugness present in Hiroto's behavior was absent as he looked out at the class before him.

Standing at the front of the classroom was nerve wracking for Hiroto in a way he hadn't expected. Sure, he was finally here, where he had dreamed of being...but now that he was here he had a whole new set of trials before him. Facing down the League of Villains, people willing to kill him no doubt if he displeased them, didn't send chills down his spine the way his classmates were right now. For the former villain Mustard it was just his first day in class, but what would be a typically nervous first day was made all the more complicated by a shared narrative with the members of this class.

Beside him were two people, one he was all too familiar with as it was Pony standing there in her school uniform he was learning to appreciate, while on the other was the hulking Vlad King who would be his new homeroom teacher. Similar in physique to Gunhead, the white haired homeroom teacher possessed a far more menacing look to him thanks to his resting scowl and lack of cute mannerisms Gunhead was prone to. Ever since Hiroto first arrived in the classroom he felt that the man was doing his best to accept his presence while also ignore him.

Chances were he wasn't a fan of having the 'delinquent' Mustard in his class. At least 1-A seemed to be having issues of its own...

"Now, I am going to have him introduce himself, but Pony wanted to speak first so I will let her do so. Remember, these two and a few more of you beat all of Class 1-A, so remember that when you are practicing your teamwork this week!"

With this said he stepped aside, allowing another to take his place at Hiroto's side: Midnight. She had arrived with him of course, having shown Hiroto through the building and given him a basic idea of what was where. He was uncertain as to why she was lingering around, but he hoped earnestly that she wouldn't use this opportunity in front of his twenty classmates to embarrass him...though he was well aware that such hopes were most likely futile.

While Midnight moved to his side Pony used the opportunity presented by Vlad to speak to everyone, smiling brightly and waving at everyone before gesturing over to her friend, "Hi everyone, this is Hiroto. You likely remember him from training camp where he use sleeping gas on us, but he is friend and now a part of class. He is very sorry for what he did and wants to be your friends, isn't that right Hiroto?"

She was trying to be sweet, to soften some of the edges her classmates no doubt would present to Hiroto...but it still felt like a form of pity and made Hiroto's stomach twist. Perhaps they ought to have coordinated what would be said beforehand, but it was too late for planning at this point.

_If you all want an introduction I guess I'll give you one...sorry Pony, but I'm handling this my way._

Looking at the nineteen students sitting before him still gave Hiroto a weird knot in his stomach, but he pressed onward in spite of his social unease to say exactly what was on his mind, "I'm not going to lie to you: I don't actually regret using my Quirk on all of you, nor will I waste time pretending I am because I am not. The League of Villains were the only people in my life until just recently who treated me like an actual person, who didn't cast me aside or abandon me, so making some other kids go to sleep so I could keep the closest thing to family I had is not something I'll regret."

Some gasps were let out by members of the class, but a look from Vlad kept everyone quiet for the meantime: it was quite obvious Hiroto was not finished, so he wanted to hear him out fully before others cut in.

Softening his caustic tone a bit, Hiroto looked from Midnight to Pony and then back to his class, at which point he bowed his head to them all, "With that said, the League abandoned me too, but in their place I have an actual family I don't want to lose. So long as I can be with them I'll do what I can to make amends, but that begins with explaining that I won't be bending down on my knees and asking forgiveness. I'll prove my worth here just like any of you, and when I have whether you forgive me or not will be up to you."

While a former Villain, Hiroto was not about to lie and proclaim severe regret and devotion to his classmates when he felt neither really. It would mean acting and pretending every time he spoke to them, which was going to soon be nearly every day and most of said days, so he simply couldn't be bothered with such deceit. It would be exhausting, the idea didn't appeal to him, and so he wasn't going to feign the civility they likely expected him to after his actions.

The effect of this on the class could most likely be expected by most, with a resulting yell from Tetsutetsu as the passionate boy rose from his seat and jabbed a finger out at Hiroto.

"I can still kick your ass kid, so you better watch it!"

That actually helped ease some of the tension from Hiroto's gut, even as he sensed that several others generally agreed with Tetsu's sentiment.

"Maybe you can, but the others? Not so much. They did so poorly against my Quirk that U.A. is now outsourcing Hero jobs to the Villains," Hiroto stood up to grin as he mocked their shared situation, though to the surprise of the class he once again bowed to them, "But like I said, I don't want to lose the family that has been given to me here, so I won't do anything like that to you guys again. Hopefully, in time, you'll be my family too."

If he was to be earnest he was going to be so completely and lay all his cards out on the table: he wanted to make this work even if he didn't feel remorse. He wanted to one day perhaps share bonds with these other students the way he did with Pony, if perhaps not _that_ close. Being deprived on companionship and starved of affection for years had left him feeling empty, but it did not mean he did not desire those things in the first place. In his mind the way to earn such things was to prove himself, to show that he was worthy of their attention and affection, and so he was determined to prove that now.

That it would be easier if he had softened some of his sentiments did not really cross his mind, but overall it still had an effect: some of those previously disposed towards disliking Hiroto outright thanks to his attack on them now felt conflicted, and others already leaning towards sympathizing with him based on what they have learned from Pony realized that while he was rough on the edges he seemingly meant what he said concerning family.

With the class quieted by his honesty and uncertain how to proceed, Hiroto did them the favor of breaking the silence which followed his bow. Standing up straight again and clearing his throat, he gestured to Midnight in a way that mirrored how Pony had done to him earlier. He had been doing his best to not look at either of them this whole time lest he lose his nerve, but now he felt like he had to address Midnight's random presence since she had been uncharacteristically quiet which no doubt was confusing her students.

"I guess I should explain why Midnight's here," Hiroto spoke as his mind tried to figure out what to say next, eventually deciding on a simple route, "Without divulging too much information, she's my mother. As in my actual mother, not my adoptive one...I was living with an adoptive family until recently, but given recent events that has changed. You don't need to know more, but I figured I should inform you of that much."

Murmurs rose again in the classroom, some faint whispers reminding Hiroto of that boy who was obviously lusting after his mother in 1-A, and so he quickly spoke up before the rumor-mill could kick into full swing.

"Oh, and because I can't get her to change her personality or how she dresses, if I catch any of you looking at my mother the wrong way, calling her a 'MILF', or doing _anything _like that they will never find your body...got it?"

His sudden protectiveness was actually endearing to many present, as it was funny seeing a kid make such a proclamation concerning his mother and no-one took the threat too seriously. At an earlier point the situation with Hiroto had been explained to them, including his ankle bracelet tracking his movement and the fact he was not immune to his own Quirk, so despite his accomplishments and power he was right now just a small kid defending his mother's honor.

Midnight used this opportunity to lean over and hug Hiroto as Pony giggled a bit beside him, the quirky U.A. teacher grinning out at the whole class, "Awww, my little man is so protective. You know, people say the way a boy treats his mother is how he'll treat his wife some day. Keep that in mind ladies!"

If there had been tension in the room prior it was mostly diffused by Midnight being Midnight, with some of the class laughing at her antics while Hiroto was left regretting ever opening his mouth even if he did mean every word he has said so far.

"Mom..."

In a reversal of Hiroto's own behavior, Midnight went from speaking about something silly to being quite serious, being the next to bow her head in shame before the class. Ever since this situation unfolded she had been unable to truly speak of her grief to her students, as while they were hurt indirectly because of her she had been unable to discuss her part in it. Even now she was uncertain how much Hiroto would want her to say given his unwillingness to talk about such things even to her, and so she did her best to convey her sorrow while not upsetting her son.

"As for why I am here, I wanted to speak with you all now that Hiroto is joining you. I ask that you do not judge him too harshly, and that if you are to be upset with his actions to levy your anger at me. It is Hiroto's place to tell you what he wishes, but know that I take responsibility for his actions as I was the one who caused them. I wish I could have been there for him when he needed me, but I wasn't, and you all were hurt because of it, so I am sorry and ask for your forgiveness."

Hiroto mentally checked out as his mother apologized on his behalf and was forgiven so easily by his classmates, particularly the female members who perhaps could empathize with her plight a bit more, and found himself finally looking over at Pony. She was already looking at him, so when he did she gave a smile to reassure him, only for it to cause him to quickly avert his eyes and blush in embarrassment.

Despite how things were softening up for him Hiroto could still sense general apprehension about him being there, so he knew that while this was helping his start with some of the others he was far from finished making amends. It was just that, a start, and he was wary of how those who still (rightfully) harbored distrust would behave during training exercises.

When the class had collectively given their sympathies to Midnight she thanked them, spoke of how she would see them all later in the day for class, and left the room after giving Hiroto a hug goodbye. This of course embarrassed him further, but he figured he was going to have to gradually grow used to that sensation given who his mother was. With her gone Vlad took her place and spoke again to his students, still doing his best to not focus too much on Hiroto himself.

"Now that that is out of the way, I want you to introduce yourselves. Knowing one another will be important moving forward as we continue to work on our team exercises, so inform your new classmate about whatever it is you think he needs to know about you."

It came to no-one's surprise, especially not the wary Mustard's, that Monoma was the first to stand up and greet Hiroto to their classroom.

"I am Neito Monoma, as you already know. I am the Phantom Thief whose Quirk allows him to borrow the Quirks of those I touch for a time. You are now one of us, so I welcome you with open arms!" as he said this he outstretched his arms in an exaggerated fashion, only to shut his eyes and add darkly once he was done, "Just don't make me regret doing so."

Hiroto nodded, though he said nothing. He was jealous of Monoma's relationship with Pony and envious of the time they had been able to spend together so far, but so long as things did not progress beyond friendship he felt that his own similarities to this glory hound were enough to form a solid basis for a friendly rivalry. The one thing he didn't want to compete over though was Pony.

_Touch Pony and I'll make you regret living. Otherwise I think you and I will get along just fine._

It was petty, he knew, but he had never had feelings like this before and so had little defenses against them: he liked her and did not want to share.

After Monoma was another member of the class who was quite outspoken, that being Tetsu who pounded his fists together as a show of force even as he grinned at Hiroto playfully, "I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Hero Name: Real Steel! My skin can turn to steel, perfect for punching the faces of sassy children like yourself! Looking forward to training, Hiroto!"

His energy was somewhat contagious, and Hiroto actually found himself wanting a rematch with the other boy. After all he had lost their last fight against one another, and his pride left him wanting to settle the score. Not only that, but finding out how to defeat foes like Tetsu would be an important part of his training here at U.A. now.

_Bring it on, Terminator._

From beside Tetsutetsu came the next introduction, it being the orange haired girl who fought alongside him at the training camp to defeat Mustard, "Calm down Tetsu, you'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow," her voice was warm and knowing, like she was used to her classmate's enthusiasm and one-track mind.

With a small bow of her head she redirected her attention to Hiroto, her voice diplomatic but the fact she was forcing it told him that she was one of the ones who did not trust him...him shooting at her with a gun probably helped with that, "Hello again. My name is Itsuka Kendo, Hero Name: Battle Fist, and I think you remember my Quirk well enough. I am the Class Representative, so despite our previous differences I now represent you and the rest of the class, so if there is anything you need just let me know."

It would be difficult for him to ask for help from someone he knew disliked him, but Hiroto begrudgingly accepted that he may have to at some point: she was his class rep now and nothing he did would change that fact.

"Fine," he responded sourly, less able to mask his emotions compared to the mature girl.

A girl with a messy mop of green hair came after Kendo, bowing in an overly polite manner while clasping her hands together as if she was praying for some reason.

"I am Ibara Shiozaki. My Hero Name is Vine, and I pray for your soul now that you have returned from the darkness."

_So she was praying...what the Hell is up with this girl?_

Uncertain how to handle someone being religious towards him, Hiroto just nodded and accepted that he was likely going to sit at whatever lunchtable this girl was _not_ at, "Uh, okay?"

And he thought Pony could be weird...

"Hey there, I'm Juzo Honenuki, but you can call me Mudman if you want. It's nice to actually meet you, Pony's talked about you a lot you know," said the next member of the class to do their self-introduction, Juzo smiling with his disturbing mouth as he did so. It seemed like he lacked lips, and so Hiroto found it a _bit _difficult to look at what looked like a mutilated boy, but his personality seemed quite cheerful.

What allowed him to actually properly face this other student was the mention of Pony, who nodded in confirmation when Juzo mentioned her. Despite this Hiroto still found himself asking if he was serious, as the thought of Pony talking about him to others made him have to fight the urge to blush.

"She has?"

"Yeah, I'm one of the only ones who can speak English well in the class so I'm usually on translation duty. Guess we can share that role now!" Juzo sat back down, but spoke up again a second later when something came across his mind, "Oh, and my Quirk 'Softening' allows me to soften inorganic materials I touch. Thought you should know!"

_You don't seem that bad...too bad looking at you is creepy. Guess it's better than looking creepy and being mean._

The boy after was short and plump, with his appearance being just out of the ordinary enough for a U.A. student that Hiroto sort of recognized him from the Sports Festival, "I'm Nirengeki Shoda, and you can call me Mines. My Quirk, Twin Impact, allows me to remotely detonate a second, stronger impact if I've hit something."

"You gave up at the tournament because of the mind-controller, right?"

Said student was now a part of 1-A, or so Hiroto heard, so he was quite tempted to have a face off with the purple haired kid.

Shoda nodded to confirm Hiroto's question, "Yeah, that's me. I didn't think it was right to win without being conscious of it."

"A win's a win, but that's your decision," Hiroto commented, sensing that the other boy didn't quite like him from the moment he spoke and thus not caring about offending him further.

After the short kid of the class came another boy, one who Hiroto didn't recognize at all but who seemed annoyed to see him, "Yosetsu Awase, 'Welder' is what I'm called. As my Hero Name suggests I can weld any two objects together at an atomic level, just like I welded a tracking device to that monster of yours which nearly sawed my head off."

_That explains the attitude..._

In this instance Hiroto couldn't really blame the guy for being mad: he wasn't knocked out like the others, he was almost sawed to pieces. Still, Hiroto didn't have anything to do with the deployment of the Nomu and actually didn't like it, so he found himself sympathizing with Awase unlike most the class.

Hiroto nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I was planning on gassing that thing if it tried hurting Pony, but never got the chance to deal with the Nomu because someone broke my mask."

His words put Awase off-guard, surprised that he was not arguing with the new kid about what happened. Perhaps he wasn't too bad after all?

Tetsutetsu felt the need to interject based on Hiroto's accounting of events though.

"You shot my mask!"

Ignoring him, Hiroto turned to face the next student, "Moving on..."

The next person was the most generic kid Hiroto has ever encountered in his life, and he was certain he would forget him the moment he left class that day only to be reminded of him on occasion during class. With a plain face and plain brown hair there wasn't much to say about this kid, and his introduction was as large as his presence.

"Well, I guess I'll go...I'm Kosei Tsuburaba. I can create walls with the air I breathe."

_Boring..._

As they were going across the room the next person to make an introduction was not actually present at the seat which had been reached, instead still being at the front of the class where she stood in support of her friend: Pony.

Pony smiled as she took her turn, briefly pumping a fist up into the air out of joy for it being her turn. This done, she brought her index fingers up to touch the horns atop her head as she began to speak, "I'm Miss America, Pony Tsunotori! I can use my horns in all sorts of ways, like shooting, stabby stabby, and even flying! Midnight-sensei helped me pick name since couldn't think of one before."

Having watched her body move as she pumped her fist up into the air, Hiroto couldn't exactly argue much with the name...instead he found himself averting his eyes from her entirely. That was _exactly _the kind of name his mother would help someone choose.

"It's fitting," Hiroto mumbled, confusing Pony a bit and making her look over to the shy boy.

She wasn't the only one confused, with Tetsutetsu leaning over towards Kendo to ask her about what Pony's Hero Name was in reference to or why Mustard would be embarrassed, "I don't get it."

Sighing from beside Tetsu, Kendo shook her head as she wrapped her head around the title herself, "Miss America is an American beauty pageant, and Pony's from America, so it's exactly the kind of idea Miss Midnight would come up with."

"Oh, so it's because her boobs are big enough to win a beauty contest, right?"

"Tetsu!" Kendo chided as fiercely as she could while remaining in a whisper.

Hiroto's face went pale as he tried to blank his mind from the conversation being had at the moment, while Pony just giggled as if Tetsu said something funny...it was hard to tell if she understood what Tetsu said or if she was amused by his bluntness, but whatever the case her not being embarrassed helped Hiroto calm himself at least a bit. It was hard for a boy at his age to not spend his time glaring at her chest, so having attention explicitly drawn to it was absolute murder for his state of mind.

With a glare from Vlad indicating that they should move on, the next student rose from his seat. Quite tall, he was a beast of a man figuratively and literally: he was hairy like a gorilla and quite well built unlike the other boys in the class who tended towards being lanky.

"Ahem. I am Jurota Shishida, Hero Name 'Gevaudan', and I am able to transform into a beast to increase my physical capabilities."

_Another short intro...guess Beast doesn't like me. Never was my favorite X-Men character anyways._

Next after Jurota was a Chinese boy who was also quite terse, "Hiryu Rin, call me Dragon Shroud. I can grow and fire scales from my body or use them as body armor."

_Whatever, Spike. Just don't get in my way._

A more lively member of 1-B followed, that being a boy with pitch black skin and white hair who gave a wicked grin to Hiroto during his introduction, "Shihai Kuroiro, Vantablack is my Hero Name. I can merge with and control anything that is black, so remember that when you are choosing how to dress."

_Don't wear black then? Our school uniform has black in it! That's unfair...at least the girls wear nice skirts._

_Oh wait, he can control their skirts._

_..._

_He is not allowed to be around Pony. Don't care what anybody says._

A short girl introduced herself next, being the only one seemingly shorter than Hiroto except for the plump boy. Her hair was reminiscent of a mushroom, and so the words which followed came as no surprise to Mustard, "I'm Kinoko Komori, my Hero Name is Shemage, and I can spawn spores which can grow mushrooms on any surface. The more humid it is the better for my Quirk."

"So the mushroom girl makes mushrooms. How fitting," he wanted to think that one, but couldn't help but snark about it out-loud.

Pony chimed in with enthusiasm befitting someone who had always thought the same thing but hadn't talked about it with anybody before, "I know right?!"

Komori nodded with a small smile, but Hiroto got the feeling that she was just being polite: she wasn't glaring at him like some of the others, but she wasn't sort of on his side like Tetsu or Monoma.

Given the hypothetical power of her Quirk...well he was a bit worried about that. She was one of the only members he would rather stay on the good side of.

_Beware the Goomba..._

After the mushroom girl was another cartoonish member of the class, though in this instance it was more literally cartoonish: his head was a speech bubble one would see in a comic book or manga.

This, to Hiroto, was _incredibly_ weird and it left him wondering how he eats.

"My name is Manga Fukidashi and my Hero Name is Comicman. I can make onomatopoeia come to life in the form of giant text that has the characteristics of the word."

_Fitting..._

Hiroto nodded, pointing a thumb over at Pony beside him, "I bet it goes right over Pony's head. That's hard to really translate I would think."

After the Manga-man was someone whose introduction was given as bluntly as possible, looking bored as he did so

"I'm Sen Kaibara. You can call me Spiral, or not. Don't really care. I can rotate parts of my body like a drill."

_Another generic looking guy...did U.A. run out of its character creation budget with 1-A, or is there actually anything special about these two?_

Given how little he said, and the fact the boy seemed personally miffed at Hiroto, made the new 1-B member think maybe Sen held a grudge over the training camp events. It wasn't distrust like he was feeling from some others, but rather it felt more like the attitude of a sore loser who got beat.

Hiroto could relate, not that he would admit it.

The girl who stood up after Sen was of a similar disposition towards Hiroto, not even feigning a smile as she grimaced at her new classmate, "Setsuna Tokage, and my Quirk allows me to split into numerous pieces. My Quirk name is Lizardy, and that's all I've got to say."

_Another outwardly hostile one...that's fine Gecko. Hope you'll learn to stay out of my way too._

While it was hard to say what the look upon the next student's face was, Hiroto thought he heard a more positive sounding voice than the previous few.

"I am Togaru Kamakiri. Hero Name: Jack Mantis. Obvious, I know, but my Quirk is a little less so: I can protrude blades from anywhere on my body."

His name was quite fitting given his appearance, being an insectoid-human cross who Hiroto had not forgotten even though it had been quite some time since he first saw him.

"I remember you from the cavalry battle," Hiroto stated in a neutral tone, trying to not betray his feelings in this one matter. After all, if he explained why he disliked this boy so irrationally not only would Pony know of his crush, but he would quickly become the class laughingstock: something Hiroto was eager to never be again.

_Mantis guy...yeah, I remember you. I'll enjoy testing my Quirk on you when I get the chance._

While his distaste of Monoma was more due to the fact he could pose as a hypothetical romantic rival, in this instance Hiroto just didn't like the idea that some other guy got to ride on Pony's back, especially since his mind has been clouded with innuendo day in and day out due to Midnight. It was petty again, but he was still learning how to handle these new feelings he was having and his temperament left him emotionally vulnerable to any form of threat to his relationship with Pony.

After all, if you possess a deep inferiority complex and are surrounded by the best students in the nation it's hard not to wonder if maybe the pretty girl you like might like one of these relatively normal guys who don't have the same baggage and personality flaws you do. Despite proclaiming superiority it was in fact the opposite of how Hiroto truly felt, which is why he had to try and constantly prove to himself and others that he _was_ special and that he _did_ deserve their affection or attention.

Kojiro Bondo's introduction soon afterwards was quiet much like the tall boy, and quick since he and Hiroto already knew eachother well enough that a deeper explanation was unnecessary. This allowed for the next person to introduce theirself, that being a girl with a seemingly permanent blank expression on her face.

"Yui Kodai. Rule. I can resize inanimate objects."

_...that's it?_

Unlike some of the others it seemed less like the girl was being abrupt and rude, and more that she just wasn't a talkative person. Hiroto was somewhat understanding of that, as he wasn't that social either...but when he got talking he _kept_ talking as Pony liked to nag him about since it impacted his fighting ability.

Rather than press the issue of the quiet girl not saying much, Hiroto just looked onto the next and last one of the class...finding what seemed to be another emotionless girl, though this one had white hair instead of black and was holding her arms out in front of her like some stereotypical ghost might.

"My name is Reiko Yanagi, and I can tell you are less hateful than before so you can call me by my Hero name Emily too. My Quirk 'Poltergeist' allows me to telekinetically control nearby objects up to a Human's body weight."

_Less hateful? What is that even supposed to mean, Boo? Some kids are really weird..._

"It...it's nice to meet you?" Hiroto responded, unsure of himself since while she sounded nice he was also instantly weirded out by her way of speaking.

With the class finished with their introductions, Vlad spoke up again in his gruff voice, "That's enough everyone. It's time for your next class."

Hiroto sat down in a seat added to the room to accommodate him, its placement such that it allowed him to sit right beside Pony which no doubt was engineered by the school to have the 1-B member he knew best nearby him. Pony was no doubt going to be his morality chain here, something Hiroto and U.A. were well aware of, but in truth they didn't have to worry...he had no intentions of leaving Pony, Midnight, or even Gunhead now behind. This was his new life, and he was incredibly grateful for it.

So it was a small thing that he was able to sit next to Pony, but he appreciated it all the same: they wanted him on his best behavior and so facilitated that by keeping someone he liked so close that he wouldn't even think about doing anything bad.

It also made it easy for him to lean over and ask a question quietly, as now that he had his own desk he came to the realization he didn't know what they were going to go do next.

"Do you have a class schedule? I'm curious what's ahead of us..."

Midnight had his schedule at the house, but he had been so nervous this morning he forgot it and much of the other materials he prepared for the day. It took some willpower to face down the group of people he attacked and admit he didn't feel remorse since it was what he needed to do to have his 'family' at the time, but he did it now and things were beginning to feel easier bit by bit.

Pony was all too willing to help, handing over a personalized version of the class schedule she had made, "Uh-huh, here go."

He wasn't too surprised by the fact Pony had small doodles on it, specifically of a lightning bolt rainbow, a group of apples, some gems, sparkles, a butterfly, and then some party balloons, and it made him blush as he thought about how _adorable_ this girl was. He hated that his mind was saying that so clearly as it felt more like a Midnight statement than something he would say, but he couldn't really blame Midnight since he had feelings like this rush to his head even before he even really knew his mother...blaming her now wouldn't help anything.

While attempting to silence his mind's affection with Pony Hiroto began to read the schedule over, though Pony chiming in to help didn't actually help him get his mind off her.

"Is Monday, so English with Loud-sensei, then Mathematics with Team Plasma, after that is literature with Cinderblock-sensei, and then History with...Midnight-sensei."

Her brief pause before saying her nickname for Midnight pulled Hiroto out of his reverie just long enough to read the schedule closer, noticing now more than just the subjects listed: she had nicknames written instead of teacher's names, and they all matched right up until the end where Pony's self-censorship revealed itself.

_Sugoi Dekai Oppai-sensei..._

Thoughts of Pony being adorable were replaced with Hiroto trying to keep himself from laying down on his desk and letting out a deep, disappointed sigh.

"You wrote 'Super Big Boob-sensei' under History."

Realizing she was caught, Pony shrugged at him and giggled: she liked having

"Where is lie though?"

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait, and for this chapter being a bit of a breather plot-wise, but things will pick up next chapter I promise as Hiroto experiences his classes! I got super busy working as a teacher IRL which caused me to have issues being able to write since I ended up with about 2 hours of free time a day, which I needed to just decompress from work...now I have a much more open schedule though so I can actually do things for fun again which is quite nice.**

**Special thanks to ****Spartan3909, reza0807, BlackendReaper, John Prodman, and CrazyBigDinAZ for your reviews last chapter, and to lilmarten02, RedFlowerInk, AinzNamikazeD, SirD95, action.1.9.1999, Amadeus Amadeus, Aether0119, Royalist Samurai Oni, LilyRose25, crazy soul dx, CrazyBigDinAZ, albertocervantes569, Khavassa, Veevee32, Truered11, ChesterCheshire, Z75, and AdilPerez for your favorites/follows! ****It is your support that allowed me to come back from the abyss known as working all day, and so I am most grateful, and apologize again for the delay.**

**Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below! Happy New Years!**


	14. Checking In, Catching Up

**Chapter 14: **Checking In, Catching Up****

* * *

**"Yo yo yo, the name's Present Mic my man! How's it hanging my little dude?"**

Mere moments into his first class Hiroto was tempted to use his Quirk on someone.

_Holy...volume please._

It wasn't just the volume of his teacher Present Mic being of an obscene level, but also that he called him 'little' at the same time. Hiroto hated being reminded of his stature, so having it stated for the city to hear simply compounded the issue. He also lacked his teacher's enthusiasm, not out of a lack of wanting to be here (his desire to be at U.A. had never truly disappeared) but rather because Hiroto could never even in his wildest dreams match this level of energy that was radiating off the man. Anything beside it seemed small in comparison, so while he had awaited his first period eagerly he now felt deflated by proxy.

"Hello...my name is Hiroto," he offered at a much more normal level of volume, one which he was grateful Present Mic soon adopted himself.

"Nemuri's kid, right? Stay out of trouble and we'll be just groovy, ya hear me?" the adult trying too hard to stay 'hip' and 'groovy' winked at his new student while flashing what Hiroto could only describe as 'finger guns' at him. So unused to personal contact was he that he didn't even know the actual term for it, and was left to wonder if it had any greater meaning as he fought the urge to glance at where Tetsutetsu was sitting.

"Got it."

The entire class was present, but the others knew better than to interrupt Present Mic when he was focused on something, so they sat by idly doing this or that. Some were on their phones (such as Kuroiro), others were finishing homework due that day in their notebooks (a panicking Tetsutetsu), doodling on some paper (Fukidashi), reading an English version of a religious text (Shiozaki), or sitting attentively waiting for further instruction as they observed Present Mic's interaction with Hiroto (Pony and Kendo in particular).

"So Hiroto, what do you know about English? I have to know where you're at so I can know how to catch you up to everybody else!"

As it was his first day and he needed to be brought up to speed Hiroto figured he would be having this sort of conversation a lot today. If it meant he could better acclimate to U.A. though he was willing to go through it again and again, though he had to suppress a shudder at the thought of Midnight talking to him in front of the class...he really hoped she could keep some things to herself, though he felt he ought to expect the worst just in case she would pleasantly surprise him by only somewhat embarrassing him.

This said, he was fairly comfortable in this class compared to how the average Japanese student would be: he wasn't an expert, but he did know English better than most of his classmates new and old.

"I have been watching American movies and shows for years, so I know how to read a fair bit of English...I just can't speak or write it too well."

Present Mic had a new surge of enthusiasm now that he learned that Nemuri's son wasn't going to need his hand held through all his lessons, "That's better than some of the kids who've been here a semester already! We're just going over the basics, so you may not be in too much trouble," glancing over to the class for a second, Present Mic turned back to Hiroto with a devilish grin, "Just to be safe, I've got a rad idea!"

"You want Pony to tutor me in English," Hiroto deadpanned, having noticed that Present Mic had specifically looked in her direction nearby his own seat.

"Pony can teach you-wait, what? Awww not cool man, cuttin' me off like that," Present Mic whined as if he was the child of the two, though to his credit he did recover and resume his previous cheery behavior that reminded Hiroto a little of Aunt Joke, "I do remember hearing that you knew Pony though so I shouldn't be too surprised. Well, I'll entrust you in Pony's care then! Pony, you'll get extra credit the better Mini-Midnight here does, sound cool?"

_Mini-Midnight...not as bad as 'little dude', so I guess I can live with it..._

"Yeah! Ah'm really good with English!" Pony piped up positively. Getting extra credit for something she would already do was something any student would be grateful for, and it would give her the opportunity to properly go over her own understanding of the language.

"In return, I'm sure someone with your test scores can teach Japanese pretty well. You can help Pony with that, and she'll help you out in English. Fair trade in my eyes!"

Pony turned to Hiroto to smile at him, making his usually steely exterior melt a bit as he saw how happy she was.

"We spend even more time together now."

He didn't want to let it be known that he liked her as more than a friend, but he couldn't help but smile a bit and nod as he fought off whatever traces of a blush threatened to reveal his true nature.

Present Mic was a tad bit annoying, but the class wouldn't be that much of an issue Hiroto figured...and would be one of two classes he could use as an easy excuse to invite Pony over. That Present Mic even suggested it himself meant he had teacher sanctioning to invite Pony over, so Hiroto found himself liking the loud man even if a small part of him did continue to wonder how loud the man would snore when dosed with some poison gas.

* * *

_I wonder how much ear-plugs cost..._

English went well overall for Hiroto, though he was hoping to keep as low a profile as he could during it until he felt more comfortable speaking: he didn't want to be called on and make a fool of himself, but he had the gripping suspicion that as Midnight's son he was going to get excess attention from her friend anyways...

Regarding attention, it seemed that the majority of his classmates weren't going to interrupt class to interact with him one way or another, the exception being Pony giving him thumbs ups to encourage him mid-lesson when he was asked to read a passage from some English book called "The Great Gatsby". He had to sort of pick up on what was going on in the plot, but Pony was able to at least guide him through subtly by sharing her notes...though from what he gleamed it wasn't exactly a story he wanted to read all of.

_What would I title this book..."Downtrodden man changes himself and does everything he can to earn the affection of the woman he loves, only for her to not even care about him as the society he tries to please forgets him as soon as he is gone". Bit long, but sounds about right..._

_..._

Hiroto glanced over to Pony who to his surprise was already looking at him and smiling, prompting her to wave.

_...if life was a novel this would either be foreshadowing or a red herring, but fortunately this isn't so maybe I can have something to do with the outcome rather than have it be pre-destined._

He forced a smile back at Pony, the act actually feeling a little unnatural to him as he realized how little he had been smiling these past few years. Actively trying to do it made it all the more apparent that his facial muscles weren't well practiced in the expression, and he hoped it didn't appear too awkward to her.

When the class finished their next teacher visited their room, this being their mathematics teacher (and former Pro-Hero) Ectoplasm whom Hiroto had heard a bit about. He apparently lost a part of his leg or foot in active Hero work and so became a teacher, immediately earning some level of respect from Hiroto: the man could likely have lived off of whatever benefits he was given after the injury, but he instead was applying himself and working in a new environment while still utilizing his skillset.

As with Present Mic one of the first things done in the class was address the former villain in the room, with Ectoplasm addressing him directly, "Hello, Hiroto. It is nice to meet you."

Hiroto stood and bowed to the man whose hero guise was a bit creepy, not even caring since the assault upon his eyes was nowhere near the recent assault to his ears, "Same to you, Ectoplasm-sir."

Ectoplasm was quite polite in his mannerisms as he gestured to a paper he brought with him, it being held by one of his clones he could create, "I have prepared a test for you to see where you are at presently, that way we can deal with wherever you are at rather than where your class is expected to be. If you like you can take the test in another room under the supervision of another one of myself."

_Math? Pfft, this will be easy...even so I don't want to be in the way of the actual class and lower their opinion of me, so I'll take it elsewhere. Less chatting as they answer questions on the board will mean less distractions anyways._

Glancing to his side for a moment Hiroto found Pony still smiling at him, as if she hadn't stopped trying to encourage him the entire time. Fighting off yet another blush, he turned his attention back to Ectoplasm.

"That would be appreciated."

_Hopefully I have some time to get used to sitting next to her before I have to take any tests._

"You will have until the end of class, so take your time. I look forward to having you in class moving forward, Hiroto."

* * *

The diagnostic exam was easy for Hiroto to complete, with him almost feeling somewhat insulted by some of the questions if not for the fact he knew Ectoplasm had to make certain he knew _everything_ leading up to the material they were presently going over. Some of the questions were actually beyond where the class was presently, and to Hiroto's smug pleasure he was pretty sure he had gotten them all correct.

_Maybe I can help Pony with Math too..._

It was a heartwarming thought to himself as he stared at his plate of food in the cafeteria, sitting all by his lonesome because he didn't feel comfortable sitting with the rest of 1-B yet. He didn't think they would kick him out of whatever seat he took by them, but he felt the tension radiating from members such as Kaibara and Tsuburaba. Tetsu was already sitting with Kendo, Awase, and Monoma so they weren't available, while Bondo and Pony hadn't even gotten their food yet so he was feeling a bit isolated even beyond his chosen social distancing.

The food in front of him was made by a famous chef in the Hero world, but as he tasted it Hiroto couldn't help but feel it tasted better when Midnight made the same dish for him. Thinking about that got him smiling again, and while imagining that it was her cooking he sat at his own table quietly looking down at his one and only companion: Cell phone-sama.

More specifically he was pondering the image of Pony in a bikini that Midnight gave him, hating and loving said picture in equal measure. He hated that his mother knew that he liked Pony, he hated that she _had _the picture, but seeing Pony scantily clad celebrating her nation's holiday patriotically helped his confirmation bias as to why he liked America.

"How is Mustard doing?"

Hiroto had not expected to have a heart attack for another couple periods today, his eyes widening as he nearly dropped his phone into his food at the sound of Pony sitting down across from him and her tray touching the table. Doing quick damage control, Hiroto checked for signs of Pony having seen anything, pocketed said phone and with a button press turned it off, and did his best to regain his composure by _not _swallowing the food that had been in his mouth down the wrong tube via panic.

Once he was certain he could maintain some form of facade that wouldn't betray the fact he was just looking at her half-naked, Hiroto tried to return to his usual calm and just shrug off the way the day was going. He wasn't expecting to be everyone's friend in one day, and he doubted he would ever really befriend them all, but so long as he could not be their enemy at some point that was what he wanted.

"This is kind of how I expected things to go. Nobody is really sure what to do with me, so they are keeping their distance."

Pony nodded, still smiling as she had been all day in support of him, "They will like you, just give time."

Hiroto was less sure of it, but wouldn't complain if they did come to enjoy his company one day...if all he had in the world was Midnight and Pony he would get by, but that didn't mean the socially starved boy didn't want more friends, "I hope so."

"No need to look so glum, new classmate of mine! We here in Class 1-B are all about unity and working as a team, unlike those ruffians in 1-A!"

Without even turning from Pony he knew the person who was taking a seat beside her: Monoma had changed tables, and he seemed to be in one of his more manic moods. Hiroto gave him a small nod of greeting, his mouth full at that moment and grateful that it gave him an excuse to not be overjoyed when greeting Monoma. While he appreciated that Monoma was likely going to be one of the few in his class who would go to bat for him, he couldn't shake off his jealousy and envy both even if he wanted.

Unwittingly Pony soothed Hiroto's ego by giggling at Monoma's entrance, apparently used to such a thing mid-lunch, "Kendo kick you out of table again, huh?"

"What? Of course not! I merely wish to share a meal with our new companion!"

Pony turned back to Hiroto, completely ignoring Monoma's excuse in the process, "Class-Representative keeps Monokuma on short leash. He like dog who barks at strangers when 1-A nearby, but he nice to Pony."

While he had laughed at her prior statement, Hiroto's elated mood came crashing down right after.

"Wonderful."

Most kids would have some kind of experience with their feelings before they were fourteen, but for Hiroto he had only ever been able to bottle up his jealousy and envy in the ways he experienced before. He had never been envious over a girl before, but he did know what it was like to not be the favorite, to be ignored by his classmates, to be bullied while others all were out playing, to not be wanted by his own 'parents'...

He could lash out stupidly towards Monoma for being the other boy closest to Pony, but instead he bit his tongue and accepted it. Monoma was Pony's friend, and Hiroto was genuinely trying to turn over a new leaf, so he would do his best to slowly get over this ball of anxiety and fear that welled up within him whenever he thought about the two of them.

Helping this attempt at reconciling his feelings with his rationality was the fact that Hiroto was almost certain Monoma didn't have anywhere near as good a phone background as him...though when he got the chance Hiroto wanted to get a picture of Pony as she was today, smiling in her gentle and friendly way with that slightly equine face of hers. While the teenage boy side of him enjoyed the picture Midnight gave him, the rest of him felt a desire to always be graced with such a positive look by her and to do everything he could to keep her from ever losing it.

* * *

"Welcome to U.A. young man. I have been hearing about you all day, so it is nice to get to actually meet Nemuri's son."

The blocky grey Literature teacher that was in charge of their class after lunch seemed as friendly as Present Mic but without the volume, instantly earning Hiroto's internal thanks in the process.

"It's Cementoss, right?"

As before he had a brief one on one with the teacher, this time following Cementoss telling everyone to split up into their reading groups so that they would not be left idle. It was clever, and indicative of his teaching style compared to Present Mic who let his kids have more freedom at the cost of some inefficiency.

"Yes, please forgive me for not introducing myself. You are Hiroto, correct?" the friendly golem stated, seeming quite pleased to have Hiroto in his class for some reason. Perhaps he was actually just a nice person? Hiroto was suspicious of others typically, but he really couldn't read anything negative into the behavior of Cementoss.

"Yeah," he replied simply, having already done this greeting thing multiple times today and wanting to get on to the part where he was interacting with his classmates: he might even get lucky and be assigned to Pony's group. It was her and Tetsutetsu it seemed, so it wouldn't be a bad group at all to be a part of.

"Well Hiroto, we are just beginning a new set of texts so you are joining us at a good time. We will be comparing them to what we have already read for context and meta-textual contrast, but you will be just fine since we are working in groups. You are free to join any group you like, just make sure I know which one by the end of the period."

_...I can choose? Huh..._

Hiroto bowed his head gratefully, "Thank you sir."

Without even contemplating other options Hiroto approached Pony and Tetsu, both of them seemingly quite focused on their work as they flipped through various soft-cover books.

"Pony, can I..."

Realizing why Hiroto was there, Pony looked up in relief as she put her book down and clasped her hands together.

"You can help Tetsutetsu and Pony not fail!"

Tetsu chimed in as soon as she said this, somewhat indignant over how Pony portrayed their capabilities at Japanese especially since he _was_ Japanese unlike her, "We weren't failing!"

Given his tone and her relief demonstrated Hiroto got the feeling that he by chance chose the _worst_ group at the subject of Literature. This was their Japanese class of sorts, and so the foreigner who had trouble speaking it (Pony) and the somewhat dim-witted Tetsu were obviously not going to perform too well, something Hiroto realized should have been obvious in hindsight...but he didn't choose this group to get a good grade, he chose it because it had two people he could tolerate and who would tolerate him in turn.

"Tetsu not much better at Japanese than Pony," she explained sadly, happy to work with a friend but sad that she felt they were doomed to fail prior to their new group member joining. Since Hiroto was actually competent at his own language he would be able to keep the other two from failing, or so she figured.

"At least I don't speak weeb..." Tetsu grumbled, unable to really argue her point since she was right: his literature score was one of the lower ones in the class at the moment, though he swore in colorful language that he wasn't bad at Japanese _or_ reading, just the questions.

Hiroto was pleasantly surprised to hear the boy _could_ read after seeing said boy charge headfirst literally into gunfire.

"What book are we even reading?"

Pony brightened up as she announced the topic they were working on, that being the stack of books beside her and Tetsu which all displayed space-like covers, "Ginga Eiyu Densetsu!"

It sounded somewhat familiar to Hiroto, who after thinking for a moment remembered it by its English title: Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He liked watching things with English subtitles so he could try and match what he was listening to with what he was hearing in Japanese, but he hadn't actually watched it in its entirety: just a scene on the internet where one of the protagonists talks about how alcohol is one of humanity's oldest friends, and that he can't abandon a friend, all to justify his alcoholism.

"Isn't that a book series? Why all of it?"

"Yeah, but Cementoss want us read all of them because this is U.A.," Pony explained, both happy and sad to have done so. U.A. had high standards after all, which was why they all wanted to be here since it was the best Hero school in Japan if not the world, but it also meant they were expected to be 'Plus Ultra' in everything they did.

Seeing an opportunity for more encounters with friends, Hiroto somewhat invited them over in his haughty manner, "You guys better come visit so I can teach you how to properly read the books."

"I know how to read!" Tetsu complained, only for Hiroto to smile jokingly at him, it being perhaps his most natural smile that day.

"Sure you do."

He was not left alone with the smug smiling for long however, as soon Pony revealed her motive behind choosing this old book series while beaming proudly, "Pony planned on watching the anime again for refresher course."

So she already knew basically everything from having seen the anime? That would help Hiroto supposed, but he felt that her relying too hard on it would hamper her progress.

"You can watch the anime when you have finished the books."

"Awww..."

* * *

The last period of the day was the one which Hiroto dreaded the most, and he steeled himself even before his instructor's voice rang out in the classroom.

Pony gave him not a happy smile like before, but a look of consolation and sympathy.

The moment had finally come for him to face one of his worst fears.

"Alright class, make sure you put your phones away and to pay attention! This material will be on the test!"

"Awww man..." Tetsu groaned at the mention of a test, only for Kendo to shoot him a glance for speaking unprompted in class. With him looking sheepish in turn, she took a moment to raise her hand to speak with permission.

When granted it the class representative shot a glance over to the classroom's new addition, "Miss Midnight, shouldn't we..."

"I think my son knows who I am, and I know who he is, so we'll be jumping right into the material today! Youth is fleeting, so there isn't time to waste!"

Hiroto was oddly grateful that his mother was not going to make a circus of his entrance to the class, and also that he wasn't going to have to meet and greet yet another teacher today...but at the same time something she said did leave a lingering thought in his mind.

_Now I know who you are...about fourteen years late._

There was nothing he could do to make up for the time lost due to their personal circumstances, but he was firm in his resolve to not miss any time moving forward, even if that meant sitting through what he was certain would be painful as all Hell lessons.

There was no way Midnight of all teachers would teach a class that wouldn't make him squeamish, something so obvious even the oblivious Pony saw a mile away, and so Hiroto had to steel himself for the entire period so as to not let himself appear weak to her 'quirks'.

When History was over he felt physically drained by the ordeal, and he swore he could see glances of sympathy even from some of the students who disliked him, but he refused to give in...he just needed to mentally refortify himself before he could get up and actually leave class now like the others were doing at Vlad's dismissal.

Fortunately he found some support in the form of Pony joining him after class, their seats being right next to one another perhaps being all that kept him sane throughout class.

"She's as intense in class as she is outside of it..." he eventually mumbled, half to himself and half to Pony, who was trying not to laugh at how drained he looked now that everyone else was gone except Vlad King and Midnight.

"How's it going sweetie?"

Hiroto nearly jolted out of his chair as he felt his mom approach and hug him as if from thin air, not having noticed her leave his vision, but realizing that perhaps she was quite used to such ambushes: she got the drop on villains all the time, and given what she wore that meant she likely had some incredible skill at such things.

"Did you have to go over the lewd parts of Japanese history?" he grumbled as she hugged him, no resistance being given on his part but an embarrassed blush all too apparent on his face.

"Of course I did! How can we understand our own culture if we turn a blind eye to those parts we find distasteful? History wasn't clean, so it ought to be taught as it was rather than leaving out all the salacious details."

"You're impossible. Can I go home now?"

"Hiroto, actually, I was intending to keep you after to talk to you a bit."

A bolt of fear struck through his spine as suddenly he was being asked to stay after class, his mind racing to figure out why.

"Is this about what I said this morning?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Midnight giggled at the thought of him threatening his entire class should they dare look at her lewdly: she had noticed during the lesson Hiroto had busied himself policing the gazes of his classmates rather than pay attention to her lewd subject matter, "Pony, you too."

Her inclusion made Pony now worried that something was up, "Is something matter?"

"No, just that there are some people who wanted to meet with you two...it's important."

Vlad opened the door to the room to allow two others inside, one being a young man with a casual appearance to him while the other was a man looking more to be in his thirties with dark skin and whose scowl put him at complete odds with the lackadaisical man who arrived with him.

Once they entered in came a third person, completing the trio of what Hiroto realized must be his so-called parole board.

"Young Hiroto, Young Pony, allow me to introduce my fellow Heroes: Hawks and Rock Lock! We are the ones who will be keeping track of your progress, so I felt it would be best if you got to know the others now that your first day is over!"

He wasn't in his buffed form, instead appearing as his ghastly self, but All Might knew how to turn up the theatrics when he wanted: it just so happened that it did nothing to ease the sudden tension Hiroto felt between his shoulderblades that made Midnight's class feel easy.

The relaxed man introduced himself first, smiling to Hiroto and giving him a joking salute as if to rib his grand entrance provided by All Might, "Name's Hawks. Nice to meet you properly kid."

"You can call me Rock Lock."

Up until now Hiroto had been good about identifying his goals and the obstacles that stood in the way of said goals, and as soon as he locked eyes with Rock Lock he knew for certain he had encountered yet another.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, but as mentioned in my previous post I had a lot to observe and learn from before I felt comfortable writing certain characters that will be a part of our story moving forward. I have a lot on my plate IRL due to the fact I have to teach from home these days, and given the logistics of my school and students that means a lot of busy work on my end, but I am currently working on writing again now that I am easing into my new schedule.**

**Special thanks to Spartan3909, Bookeater-otaku, and BostonFan1993 for your reviews last chapter, and Fluffy Shirt, Anomynousmous, PantheonofNight, WaysidePacer, KV Channel, Crazythemelon, Kaiser Chris, Boston Fan 1993, hockeybobby46, Megaspower, Randy the Ranger, Shatterbolt, and empirekeeper1 for your favorites/follows! I appreciate your support and it helps me immensely when writing!**

**Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**


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